Space Weather Drill Simulates Carrington-Level Solar Storm, Challenging Satellite Safety and Mission Control Response

Scientists prepare for the next Carrington Event

Governmental disaster preparedness isn’t limited to crises that originate here on Earth. In fact, experts know that some of the most disruptive and unpredictable occurrences begin on the surface of the sun. For weeks now, emergency planners at the European Space Agency (ESA) in Darmstadt, Germany, have been conducting test runs to improve response capabilities for a cataclysmic solar storm. And while today’s digitally interconnected world means …

Space weather drill simulates Carrington-level solar storm, challenging satellite safety and mission control response

No communication or navigation, faulty electronics and collision risk. At ESA's mission control in Darmstadt, teams faced a scenario unlike any before: a solar storm of extreme magnitude. Fortunately, this nightmare unfolded not in reality, but as part of the simulation campaign for Sentinel-1D, pushing the boundaries of spacecraft operations and space weather preparedness.

ESA Is Simulating A Solar Storms For Satellite Operator Training

Threats from space aren’t always obvious, but statistically its only a matter of time before one of them happens. One of the most concerning for many space experts is a massive solar storm, like the one that literally lit telegraph paper on fire when it hit back in 1859. In the last 150 years our technology has improved by leaps and bounds, but that also means it's much more susceptible to damage if another event like the “Carrington Event”, as …