The ‘navigation’ satellites of the future could provide an early warning of the dangerous space climate

New Orleans – Solar candles that allow satellites to slide over sunlight could soon become a reality.

Technology would allow scientists to provide previous warnings of Space climate events such as geomagnetic storms, which have the Potential to interrupt technological systems on earth.

“Many of ours National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOA). Interview here at the Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) in January. “Now, instead of using the air, we are actually using photons, the light emitted by the sun, to navigate our Satellites“

“This is a very novel technology,” he added. “We have traditionally based on the propulsion to take satellites from one place to another, and Solar Sail is providing a new way of traveling in space in a very profitable way.”

The NOAA Meteorarate Observations Office supervises the agency’s operational satellite systems in space, which provide crucial data of the observation points between the Earth and The sun. The information collected from the wide variety of instruments aboard satellites enters the production of spatial weather forecasts. The data helps to space meteorological forecasts to broadcast watches and warnings if a sunbrope It has the potential to affect the land, other spatial technologies or astronauts.

Sailing in front

A line of NASA engineers posing with a silver solar candle.

“A solar candle allows us to go beyond Lagrange a point (L1), which is the current vanguard location more efficiently, “said a scientist. (Image credit: NASA)

Some of the current space missions that provide measurements of what is happening in the sun include NASA’s advanced composition explorer and NOAA’s space climate observatory, which monitor the Solar wind. Unlike the breeze that blows here on Earth, this wind is made up of electrons and protons of the Crown of the Sun. It is important to monitor the solar wind, because when it comes into contact with our planet, you can interact with Earth’s magnetic fieldcreating auroras near the polar regions and, if it is strong enough, geomagnetic storms.

Although storm alerts are broadcast before this happens, there is still a need for a longer delivery time if there is the possibility of impacts on different types of technological systems, including electrical networks, GPS, agriculture and traffic air. Through NOA’S Next space climate Program, scientists continue to work on how future satellite missions will help provide a more anticipated notification of geomagnetic storms. That means they need to find ways to obtain information shortly after the solar flares, with measures closer to the sun.

That’s where he Solar candles Forward.

“A solar candle allows us to go beyond Lagrange a point (L1), which is the current vanguard location with more efficiency, “said Azeem.” At this time, L1 provides a semistable orbit to obtain persistent views and without obstacles of the sun. But if you want to continue above, you should use chemical rockets. Solar candles provide us with a profitable way to go up that point L1 “.

L1 is a place between the sun and the earth approximately 932,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) of our planet. In this place, the spacecraft can be in a stationary place to make observations of the activity of the sun. But the closest researchers can obtain Satellites To the sun, the faster they can obtain data as they come before, during and after the meteorological events of the space.

A solar candle looks at the sun in space

The illustration of an artist of Solar Cruiser Solar Sail. (Image credit: NASA/Aero Animation/Ben Schweighart)

When using solar candles, the spacecraft can navigate more upstream of the solar wind, which, in turn, can increase alert delivery times by 50%, Azeem explained. This would also be in a different location than the one used during the last 45 years.

At the annual AMS meeting, NOAA shared updates on the progress of this project. The construction is underway for a large -scale version of the NOAA solar candle, which is part of the Cruiser Solar Project in collaboration with NASA. Once deployed, the candle will cover 17,793 square feet (1,653 square meters).

In addition to having a spacecraft in the center with reels and a sailing deployment system, it will include four candles, which are being built in individual quadrants, with all scheduled to be finished in February 2026. If everything remains on the road, NOAA, NOAA hopes to have a shared trip launch available in 2029.

“I am very excited about the complexity that brings together different disciplines,” Azeem said. “To see the new advances in material science and other disciplines, how that is helping us in the spatial meteorological community to make the advances we need, I think that is really exciting.”

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