Panel discussion

LOOKING FORWARDS TO SOLAR CYCLE 25 – SPACE WEATHER PROSPECTS FOR THE MODERN SPACECRAFT OPERATIONS PARADIGM’

SOC: Robertus Erdelyi, Hugh Evans, Alexi Glover, Ewan Haggarty, Dave Pitchford, and Elena Popova

Panel Members: 

- Ulrich Straube MD, DLR/ESA Flight Surgeon
- Anatoli Petrukovich, Director Space Research Institute (IKI), Russia
- Richard Horne, British Antarctic Survey
- Vincent Maget, ONERA
- Bruno Sousa, ESA Cluster II Spacecraft Operations Manager
- Jan Thoemel, University of Luxembourg
- Matthew Angling, Spire
- Norma Crosby, BIRA, ESA Space Radiation Expert Service Centre Coordinator
- David Wade, Atrium Space Insurance 

As we approach Solar Cycle 25, the landscape we see around us in the spacecraft operations arena is very different to that we saw at the same point in Solar Cycle 24. Developments include significant growth in the number of spacecraft operators facilitated in part by so-called NewSpace initiatives aiming at lowering barriers for entry into the space industry; the emergence of Electric Orbit Raising missions spending comparatively long periods of time crossing the Earth’s radiation belts, and the growth in use of Cubesats and other small platforms both alone and as part of large constellations. In addition, new endeavours in human spaceflight set to move beyond low Earth orbit in the coming years will require different operational scenarios.

At the same time space weather service capabilities have also developed substantially over the same period with national, regional and international initiatives emerging to provide targeted information for end users. Furthermore new advances in our understanding of the phenomena driving space weather events continue to enhance our ability to provide improved space weather situational awareness information and forecasting to a growing user community.

This discussion will consider current state of the art in space weather service provision for spacecraft operations in view of the evolving spacecraft operations paradigm. Challenges and potential opportunities will be considered and the panel will aim to identify potential synergies between both the communities working to provide more accurate space weather information and those who would ultimately use this information in the spacecraft operations domain moving forward.

This discussion session will consider all of these new and exciting developments in the modern space paradigm from the perspective of the new Solar Cycle.