..This is an interesting snip from 'over yonder', Fwiw..
"...keep in mind is that this was largely the fault of all the anti-space-debris precautions they make Starlink do. They initially release them inside the outer parts of the atmosphere so that by default they will crash. Then they have to do a bunch of system checks on them, and then they have to maneuver them out of the outer atmosphere to where they won't be dragged back down to Earth. The solar storm hit at just the wrong time so that the atmosphere expanded and they no longer had enough energy on the satellite to get it entirely above the atmosphere. Had they initially deployed the satellites just a little bit higher already fully outside the atmosphere they would have been fine..."
..So, sounds more like a 'miscalculation' of the
Ancillary-Effects of the 'storm' - vs the 'strength' of it.. Ergo: 'hardening' still might have not been able to allow these to 'pull out in time'..
<beavis & butthead: *heh heh heeeh-heh-heeh heh*> Sorry, blame the Tequila..
..But, @Aj - are you thinking, like.. 'Malevolent state-actor sabotage' or something? (and they just 'timed it' to coincide with the "storm", as 'cover'?
Possibly Russia could pull something like that off.. Maybe-
ish(?) Why? To 'send a message' that they
Can do worse, if/when they want? Hrmmm...
Sounds like a good Tom Clancy flik, if nothing else..
jd