Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has officially opened its new Space Weather Forecasting Centre.
Space weather events such as solar flares can impact communications, GPS, energy supply, aviation and other critical infrastructure. The new center will provide around the clock space weather forecasting and warning services to help Australia’s space industry understand, prepare for, and respond to space weather events.
BoM’s expansion of its space weather capabilities will improve industry and government understanding of space weather events, as well as the impact on Australia’s security and Australian lives.
Dr Kate Brand, operations manager at the Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre, said, “The sun’s turbulent activity is the main source of space weather. Solar events that cause space weather impact include solar flares, coronal mass ejections and particle radiation events. As our reliance on technology grows, so does the risk of disruption to our lives from these events.”
The Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre is based at Lot Fourteen in Adelaide, alongside 80 other space industry agencies and businesses. The Bureau collaborates closely with its industry and government partners to devise, refine and deliver real-time services to those who need it most.
“From our forecasting center in Adelaide, we can predict how events on the sun might affect us here on Earth, 150,000,000km away,” said Brand.