NOAA Launches New Deep Space Solar Monitoring Satellite
NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, last night at 6:03 p.m. EST
on its way to an orbit one million miles from Earth. DSCOVR will give NOAA’s
Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) forecasters more reliable measurements of solar wind
conditions, improving their ability to monitor potentially harmful solar
activity.
When it reaches its final destination about 110
days from now, and after it completes a series of initialization checks, DSCOVR
will be the nation’s first operational satellite in deep space, orbiting
between Earth and the Sun at a point called the Lagrange point, or L1. It will
take its place at L1 alongside NASA’s Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE)
research satellite, replacing the 17-year old ACE as America’s primary warning
system for solar magnetic storms headed towards Earth. Meanwhile, ACE will
continue its important role in space weather research.
Data from DSCOVR, coupled with a new forecast model that is set to come online later this year, will enable NOAA forecasters to predict geomagnetic storm magnitude on a regional basis. Geomagnetic storms occur when plasma and magnetic fields streaming from the sun impact Earth’s magnetic field. Large magnetic eruptions from the sun have the potential to bring major disruptions to power grids, aviation, telecommunications, and GPS systems.
According to the National Academies of Sciences, a major solar storm has the potential to cost upwards of $2 trillion, disrupting telecommunications, GPS systems, and the energy grid. As the nation’s space weather prediction agency, when DSCOVR is fully operational and our new space weather forecast models are in place, we will be able to provide vital information to industries and communities to help them prepare for these storms.