House committee approves space weather bill

The House Science Committee approved July 24 a modified version of a space weather forecasting bill that the Senate passed last year amid criticism of the committee’s approach to the legislation.

Military Space Situational Awareness 2018

With the defence industry becoming ever more data driven, ensuring that space systems can operate both safely and efficiently is crucial for government and military agencies.

SMi’s 13th annual Military Space Situational Awareness (SS…

Air Force looks to companies, international partners in quest to improve space weather forecasting

The U.S. Air Force is seeking continuous improvement of its ability to understand and forecast space weather that impacts Defense Department satellites, said Ralph Stoffler, Air Force director of weather.

NOAA cuts target future polar weather satellites

While NOAA received full funding for its ongoing weather satellite programs, the agency is looking at options after a cut to a program for future polar-orbiting weather satellites.

Senate passes space weather bill

The Senate unanimously passed a bill May 2 intended to support space weather research and planning to protect critical infrastructure from solar storms.

Researchers bemoan limited space weather prediction capabilities

Despite current low levels of solar activity, space weather experts warned April 5 that the sun could still produce powerful and unpredictable storms that could disrupt activities in space and on the earth.

Space weather efforts find stability despite presidential transition

As a Senate committee approved a new version of a space weather research bill Jan. 24, officials at government agencies said they have seen little sign of changes to ongoing efforts in this field despite the transition in administrations.

Budget issues could delay space weather mission

NOAA could be forced to delay plans for a space weather satellite if Congress decides to extend a stopgap spending bill currently funding the agency for the full year.

New satellites, new administration key topics of AMS meeting

A meeting of atmospheric and space scientists this week will feature enthusiasm about a new generation of weather satellites tempered by uncertainty about the future of key programs in the Trump administration.

Space weather bill clears Senate committee

The Senate Commerce Committee approved a bill April 27 that would assign roles and responsibilities to government agencies to forecast and prepare for space weather events.

Space weather bill introduced in U.S. Senate

A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation April 20 to improve space weather forecasting and preparedness efforts in parallel with a space weather strategy released by the White House last year.

Op-ed | Making Space Safer

The current capability of our technological society to predict space weather is primitive. Yet our national electric power grid, our thousands of satellites in Earth orbit and virtually all of our crucial electronic gadgetry are extremely vulnerable to the effects of severe space weather.

NOAA Told To Consider Commercial Data in New U.S. Space Weather Strategy

The White House wants U.S. agencies involved in space weather to consider commercial sources of observation data as they draft a unified, long-term plan for forecasting the kind of solar storms that can wreak havoc on all manner of electrical systems in space and on Earth.

Loosely Defined Space Weather Program Has its Costs, Expert Says

Most people knowledgeable about space recognize space weather as a force to be reckoned with, but few fully understand the scope of the U.S. government efforts to guard against it. That is because these efforts are spread across multiple agencies, their budgets often buried within programs whose main mission is something other than space weather forecasting.

NOAA Space Weather Satellite Reaches Operational Orbit

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s latest space-weather satellite has reached its operational orbit more than 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, the weather agency said June 8.

Despite the Budget Storms, Center Stays Focused on Space Weather

As the new director of the U.S. National Weather Service's Space Environment Center, Tom Bogdan faces the twin challenges of advancing the state of the art for space weather forecasting while also ensuring -- despite a shrinking budget -- that the Boulder, Colo.-based operation keeps turning out accurate daily advisories critical to satellite operators, power companies and others needing to keep abreast of geomagnetic storms, solar flares and other such disturbances that can harm people and equipment.