Critical Infrastructure in Space: Preparing for the Risks of Space Weather

SPACE WEATHER EVENTS CAN DISRUPT SATELLITES, COMMUNICATIONS, AND EXPLORATION MISSIONS—MAKING MITIGATION A CRITICAL PRIORITY FOR THE FUTURE SPACE ECONOMY.

As humanity becomes increasingly dependent on satellites and orbital infrastructure, a growing threat is drawing attention across government, academia, and industry: space weather.

During a panel discussion at spaceNEXT 2026, experts from NOAA, NASA, HelioArc Foundation, and Space Tango examined how solar activity can affect critical infrastructure in orbit and what must be done to mitigate the risks.

The panel brought together Yaireska Collado-Vega of NOAA, Michelangelo Romano of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Katherine Garcia-Sage of NASA, and Raphael Attie of the HelioArc Foundation, moderated by Molly Sullivan of Space Tango.

Together, they outlined both the science behind space weather and the growing need for coordinated mitigation strategies as space infrastructure expands.

Understanding Space Weather

Space weather refers to environmental conditions in space largely driven by the Sun’s activity.

According to Collado-Vega, one of the most important—and difficult to predict—events is the solar flare, a sudden burst of radiation that reaches Earth in roughly eight minutes.

“These eruptions can interfere with communications systems and satellite operations,” she explained.

Another key phenomenon is the coronal mass ejection (CME)—massive clouds of charged particles expelled from the Sun that can take one to four days to reach Earth.

When those particles interact with Earth’s magnetic field, they can trigger geomagnetic storms that disrupt satellites, power systems, and navigation networks.

The auroras they produce may be visually stunning, Collado-Vega noted, but they are also a sign that significant energy has entered Earth’s magnetosphere.

“When we see auroras, they’re amazing,” she said. “But it also means there’s been a large transfer of energy that can affect satellites and other systems.”

Real-World Impacts

Space weather has been causing measurable damage for decades, panelists explained.

Attie highlighted several examples, including satellite losses during geomagnetic storms and disruptions to GPS systems that affect industries ranging from aviation to precision agriculture.

“Space weather is not just an aesthetic beauty through auroras,” Attie said. “It has real impacts that cause financial loss and damage.”

Satellite constellations, communication networks, and navigation systems all depend on stable space conditions—conditions that can be rapidly altered by solar activity.

With the rapid growth of commercial space infrastructure, the risks are increasing.

Collaboration Between Government and Industry

Panelists emphasized that mitigating space weather risks requires strong collaboration between research institutions, operational agencies, and private companies.

At NOAA, Collado-Vega works within an “end-to-end” system that monitors solar activity, develops forecasting models, and issues operational warnings through the Space Weather Prediction Center.

The agency’s forecasts help protect a wide range of sectors, including aviation, energy grids, communications networks, and national security systems.

NASA plays a complementary role.

Romano explained that NASA focuses heavily on research and exploration while working closely with NOAA to transition scientific discoveries into operational forecasting tools.

“Our role is to take the latest capabilities from the research community, test them in real-time environments, and advance them toward operational readiness,” Romano said.

The collaboration becomes even more important as humanity expands beyond Earth orbit.

New Challenges Beyond Low Earth Orbit

As missions extend to the Moon and eventually Mars, the risks associated with space weather increase significantly.

Unlike Earth, the Moon lacks both a substantial atmosphere and a strong global magnetic field—meaning astronauts and equipment are more directly exposed to solar radiation.

“You don’t have the same protection you have here on Earth,” Romano said. “That means we have to understand the environment in much greater detail.”

Future lunar missions will need to account for hazards ranging from radiation exposure to electrically charged lunar dust.

Developing accurate forecasts and monitoring systems will be critical to protecting astronauts and infrastructure during these missions.

Data, Models, and the Workforce Challenge

Improving space weather forecasting depends heavily on better models and more data.

Garcia-Sage explained that researchers are working to gather satellite data across large constellations in order to better understand the thermosphere—the upper layer of Earth’s atmosphere where many satellites operate.

These data sets can help improve models that predict atmospheric drag, which affects satellite orbits and collision avoidance.

But maintaining progress in the field requires another critical resource: people.

Scientists and researchers are increasingly moving between academia, industry, and international programs, sometimes leaving gaps in U.S. research capacity.

“If funding starts to lapse, people leave,” Attie said. “And when they leave, they don’t wait—they go somewhere else.”

Closing the Industry Knowledge Gap

Another key challenge discussed during the panel is the communication gap between space weather experts and private space companies.

Many companies operating satellites do not have in-house expertise in heliophysics, making it difficult for them to interpret forecasts and risk assessments.

Attie noted that organizations such as the HelioArc Foundation are working to bridge that gap by helping companies understand available data and connect with the appropriate government resources.

“Companies need to know who to talk to and how to translate the science into actionable decisions,” he said.

Preparing for a Solar-Driven Future

As satellite constellations expand and human exploration moves farther from Earth, space weather will become an increasingly important factor in space operations.

The panelists agreed that stronger collaboration between industry, government, and academia will be essential to protecting the infrastructure that modern economies—and future exploration—depend on.

Understanding and forecasting solar activity, they emphasized, is not just a scientific challenge.

It is a critical part of building a resilient space economy.