Anomaly causes satellite to stop working in South America

Satellites stop working when flying over South America because they are affected by the high radiation levels of the Van Allen radiation belt.

The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) in part of South America is where the Van Allen radiation belts, which contain high-energy particles, come closest to the Earth's surface. Harmful high-energy particles in this area can cause satellites to stop working when they pass through, according to Business Insider.

Normally, the radiation belts range from 1,000 to 60,000 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. But in the SAA region, the inner radiation belts drop to about 193 kilometers. That’s low enough to cut across the path of a satellite, damaging electronics.

SAA was once responsible for causing computer system errors on NASA's space shuttle and damaging Japan's most powerful X-ray telescope.

According to VNE