When you board a plane, the pilot already knows the weather on the flight path and can steer clear, or at least warn you it’s coming. The same can’t be said of "space weather" from solar events, which can seriously affect satellites and even passenger planes.
The Importance of Space Weather Monitoring
Mission Space is about to launch a constellation to provide near-real-time monitoring of this increasingly important phenomenon. Space weather is a general term for the radiation in the near-Earth environment; outside the planet’s protective aura, satellites and spacecraft feel the full brunt of the sun’s rays, and a solar storm can interfere with or disable them.
The type and intensity of this radiation shifts and flows just like atmospheric weather, but being invisible and moving at the speed of light, it’s considerably more difficult to observe and predict. There are numerous satellites and deep-space missions that monitor solar radiation, but they are necessarily limited; imagine trying to predict the path of a storm using only a handful of wind and rain sensors scattered across the ocean.
And while historically this has been sufficient, the growth of the new space economy has transformed space weather from an occasional inconvenience to a constant and quantifiable threat. "More and more companies are putting space weather on their agenda," said Alex Pospekhov, CEO and founder of Mission Space. "We have 7,000 satellites in space, but in 10 years it’ll be 50,000; that means space weather events will be the same as now, but they will have 10 times the impact."
The Dangers of Solar Storms
A serious solar storm is dangerous not only to electronics, but also to unprepared astronauts. If someone happens to be on a spacewalk during a solar flare, their equipment can malfunction or even cause them harm. And if they’re unlucky enough to be in orbit when a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) hits, the effects can be catastrophic.
The Current State of Space Weather Monitoring
Currently, there are several organizations and companies that provide space weather monitoring services. However, these services often rely on limited data from a few sources, such as NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory or the European Space Agency’s Cluster mission. While these services can provide some warning time for solar storms, they are not always accurate and can be affected by various factors such as solar activity, magnetic field strength, and atmospheric conditions.
Mission Space’s Solution
That’s where Mission Space comes in. Their constellation of satellites will provide real-time monitoring of space weather, allowing them to detect even the slightest changes in radiation levels and alert their customers accordingly. The data collected by the satellites will be used to develop machine learning models that can predict space weather events with a high degree of accuracy.
The Market for Space Weather Monitoring
While governments and scientific organizations have been aware of the importance of space weather monitoring for decades, it’s only recently that private companies have started to take notice. And it’s not just satellite operators who are interested in space weather monitoring – aerospace companies, space tourism operators, and even defense contractors are also recognizing its importance.
Collaboration and Competition
While Mission Space is not in direct competition with governments and scientific organizations, they do face competition from other startups that are developing similar services. However, Pospekhov believes that there’s room for multiple players in the market and that collaboration will be key to success. "We’re not trying to replace government agencies or scientific organizations," he said. "We’re working with them to provide a service that complements their existing efforts."
Conclusion
The growing concern of space weather is a serious issue that requires immediate attention from governments, private companies, and individuals alike. With the increasing number of satellites in orbit and the growing reliance on space-based technologies, it’s essential that we develop robust systems for monitoring and predicting space weather events.
Mission Space’s constellation of satellites is an important step towards addressing this issue, but there’s still much work to be done. By collaborating with governments, scientific organizations, and other private companies, we can create a comprehensive system for monitoring and predicting space weather events – one that will protect our satellites, astronauts, and the global economy from the dangers of solar storms.
Topics
- Mission Space
- Satellites
- Space
- Space Weather
- Startups
About the Author
Devin Coldewey is a Seattle-based writer and photographer. His personal website is coldewey.cc.
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