ESA Backs Hungarian Project to Improve Space Weather Forecasting

A research project focusing on the physical processes linked to space weather has been launched at the HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics (Wigner FK) with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA), the Hungarian Research Network (HUN-REN) announced.

The SWIFT project (Solar Wind Impact on Turbulent Dynamics of the Terrestrial Magnetosphere-Ionosphere System) will examine how solar activity, particularly the solar wind, affects Earth’s magnetic environment. The research is funded through an ESA grant and will rely on measurement data from several international space missions orbiting Earth.

Hungarian researchers aim to explore the key physical processes that transfer solar energy into Earth’s near-space environment. Special attention will be given to the connection between interplanetary and geomagnetic field lines, turbulent plasma phenomena, and the electric currents forming in near-Earth plasma, as well as their interactions.

To carry out the investigations, data will be used from NASA’s MMS and Themis missions and ESA’s Cluster and Swarm missions. According to the announcement, the project’s findings could not only improve space weather forecasting but also support research in astrophysics, fluid dynamics, and even the development of fusion reactors.

The researchers also highlighted the practical importance of the work. Solar storms, such as solar flares, can pose serious risks to infrastructure and technology on Earth. While the Carrington Event of the 19th century caused disruptions mainly to telegraph systems, today similar storms could endanger power grids, pipelines, GNSS navigation systems, and satellites. Improved forecasting could help mitigate such risks and limit potential damage.

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