Storms Above, Disruptions Below: Mapping The Impact of Extreme Solar Storms Across Orbital Regimes

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations like Starlink now serve millions of users, including in disaster zones and unserved regions. However, LEO systems operate in a highly dynamic space environment, where solar activity can trigger geomagnetic storms that disturb ionospheric propagation, satellite drag, and radio link quality. In this work, we present a cross-layer empirical study of how the most intense solar storms of Solar Cycle 25---particularly those in May and October 2024---impacted the performance of LEO networks. Using active testbed probes (via LEOScope) and satellite telemetry we correlate geomagnetic storm activity with degradations in throughput, latency, and link stability. Our analysis reveals geographically skewed performance drops, latency inflation, and increased session drops. We conclude with a vision for a future prediction system that integrates solar observatory feeds, satellite tracking, and crowd-sourced measurements to forecast Internet disruptions under extreme space weather.