Video: Anomalous area makes satellites stop working in South America

The satellites stopped working when flying through the South American sky because they were affected by the excessive radiation of Van Allen radiation belt.

The Southern Atlantic anomaly (SAA) in part of South America is where Van Allen radiation belts contain high-energy particles, closest to the Earth's surface. Harmful high-energy particles in this area will cause satellites to stop working when they fly over, according to Business Insider.

Harmful high-energy particles in this area will cause satellites to stop working when they fly over.

Typically, radiation belts are located between 1,000 and 60,000 km above the Earth's surface. But in the SAA area, the internal radiation belt has a height of about 193km. This height is low enough to cross the path of a certain satellite, damaging electronic devices.

SAA was the cause of the space shuttle computer error of the US Aeronautics Agency (NASA) and spoiled Japan's strongest X-ray telescope.