My original answer has been lost for some reason but no matter because this is a great question.
So a solar flare is actually the sun ejecting billions of charged particles (electrically charged) an event which happens from time to time. If the ejection of charged particles is directed towards the Earth then satellites orbiting it are directly in its path. Charged particles can be thought of as little packets of energy and is actually radiation. Should a charged particle hit a part of the micro-electronics on the satellite then it can cause permanent damage by burning it out.
You can see the effects of a solar flare in night sky in the polar regions often called the northern lights or aurora borealis. You might have seen these dancing light shows on TV. This happens when the charged particles hit the Earths natural magnetic field and release their energy.
My company and probably all aerospace companies employ radiation scientists who do nothing else but study the effects of radiation on micro-electronics and how we can reduce or eliminate the damage it does.
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Steve commented on :
My original answer has been lost for some reason but no matter because this is a great question.
So a solar flare is actually the sun ejecting billions of charged particles (electrically charged) an event which happens from time to time. If the ejection of charged particles is directed towards the Earth then satellites orbiting it are directly in its path. Charged particles can be thought of as little packets of energy and is actually radiation. Should a charged particle hit a part of the micro-electronics on the satellite then it can cause permanent damage by burning it out.
You can see the effects of a solar flare in night sky in the polar regions often called the northern lights or aurora borealis. You might have seen these dancing light shows on TV. This happens when the charged particles hit the Earths natural magnetic field and release their energy.
My company and probably all aerospace companies employ radiation scientists who do nothing else but study the effects of radiation on micro-electronics and how we can reduce or eliminate the damage it does.