We are still figuring out how to deal with space weather as we send more and more satellites into the sky. Sometimes the sun's activity can peak in solar flares and mass ejections which send charged particles out through space. This radiation can be harmful to human health and we call it space weather.
NASA plans to use a group of six small satellites to study space weather events in more detail than ever before. By working together, the satellites will be able to work like a 6-mile-wide telescope, and they will be able to get more detailed data about space weather than we can get from the ground. The first of six SunRISE satellites is complete, and the project will be launched in 2024.
The SunRISE project manager at NASA said it was exciting to see the space vehicles come together. In a couple of years, these satellites will form a huge space telescope observing the Sun in a way that is impossible from Earth's surface.
The plan is for the six satellites to circle in a formation to create a virtual telescope that is 22,000 miles away. The principle is similar to how telescopes are arranged. They will detect radio waves from the sun's corona and relay this information to Earth, where it can be used to create 3D maps of the emissions from the sun.
The ultimate goal of the mission is to help scientists better understand the mechanisms that cause space weather events. High-energy solar particles can endanger astronauts and technology. Tracking the radio bursts associated with these events can help us better prepare.
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