Korea Radio Research Institute signs an agreement to establish a solar storm monitoring cooperation system with the U.S. NOAA
Processing and sharing of ‘SWFO-L1’ satellite data… Establishment of satellite receiving station in Jeju
As the strongest solar activity in the past 20 years begins this year, concerns are growing about damage caused by sunspot explosions, such as communication failures, satellite malfunctions, and damage to power transmission facilities. The government decided to join hands with the United States to create a cooperation system to monitor solar storms.
The National Radio Research Agency of the Ministry of Science and ICT signed an agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the U.S. Department of Commerce to establish a strategic cooperation system for solar storm monitoring capabilities between Korea and the United States in preparation for space radio disasters caused by solar activity. It was announced on the 17th.
When a sunspot explodes, a space radio disaster situation may occur that damages cutting-edge services such as broadcasting and communication failures, satellite malfunctions, and GPS reception failures. In order to reduce the social and economic damage caused by this, close monitoring of solar activity and accurate space radio forecasts and warnings are necessary.
In particular, thorough preparation is required as the ‘maximum solar activity period’ begins this year, when solar activity is most active and the number of sunspots increases.
Maximum solar activity usually occurs every 11 years, and academics believe that this maximum period will be the strongest in the past 20 years. Sunspots exhibit strong magnetic activity at a lower temperature than the surrounding areas of the sun, which causes phenomena that affect the Earth’s atmosphere, such as solar flares, to become stronger during the maximum period.
NOAA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the International Space Environment Agency (ISES) predicted that the number of sunspots will peak at about 115 in July 2025. However, as solar activity appears faster and stronger than originally expected, there is a greater possibility that the peak of this solar maximum will occur early this year, when the number of sunspots exceeds 180.
In order to prevent damage caused by solar activity, it is best to accurately predict and forecast solar activity in the near term like a weather forecast and respond through warnings to related organizations.
NOAA’s space radio environment observation satellite ‘SWFO-L1’, scheduled to be launched in 2025, will be located approximately 1.5 million km away from Earth (L1 point). Afterwards, it will detect phenomena such as protons, electrons, and coronal mass ejection (CME) emitted from the sun in real time and serve as an early warning to notify these materials before they reach the Earth.
So far, Radio Research Institute has strengthened cooperation in the technical field with NOAA, which possesses the world’s best solar monitoring satellite and space radio environment forecasting technology, including joint reception of the U.S. solar wind monitoring satellites (ACE, DSCOVR, and STEREO), sharing of prediction models, and exchange of professional personnel.
The agreement signed with NOAA this time is the fifth since 2009 with the purpose of expanding solar storm monitoring capabilities in preparation for the peak solar activity starting this year. Radio Research Institute plans to build and operate a satellite receiving station in Korea (Jeju) to directly process and mutually share data collected by NOAA’s SWFO-L1 satellite.
Seo Seong-il, director of the National Radio Research Agency of the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, “The signed agreement between Korea and the United States will not only improve Korea’s space radio environment forecasting and warning technology, but will also be an opportunity to raise Korea’s international status in the field of solar activity observation.” “As the peak activity period begins this year, we will continue to make efforts to prevent any damage to radio waves.”
Source: Donga
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