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Solar Flare Prompts Close Monitoring of Space Weather Ahead of Artemis II Launch
The X1.4 solar flare caused a severity level 3 radio blackout on Earth's sunlit side affecting Southeast Asia and northern Australia, with potential risks to Artemis 2 launch communications.
- NASA is preparing to launch Artemis 2, its first crewed lunar mission since 1972, on Wednesday, April 1, despite monitoring active region 4405, which recently produced a powerful X1.4 solar flare.
- Sunday's X1.4 flare triggered a severity level 3 high-frequency radio blackout across Southeast Asia and northern Australia, while releasing a coronal mass ejection now hurtling toward Earth.
- Solar physicist Tamitha Skov warned that radio bursts threaten communications, stating, "We need to pay attention to radio bursts now," as the CME's edge approaches Earth within 48 hours.
- Despite the solar storm threat, NASA officials reported an 80% chance of favorable weather conditions for Wednesday's liftoff, with no indication the agency will delay the launch.
- This 10-day mission will carry four astronauts around the Moon, while NASA continues monitoring the Sun; each step on the solar scale represents a 10-fold increase in X-ray intensity.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Solar flare prompts close monitoring of space weather ahead of Artemis II launch
With NASA preparing for the Artemis II launch (expected tomorrow, 1 April), a strong solar flare earlier this week is putting space weather back into focus—and highlighting the unpredictable risks astronauts could face beyond Earth's atmosphere. Professor Keith Ryden, leader of the Space Environment and Protection research team at the Surrey Space Centre, University of Surrey, has shared new insights into what this flare means for the mission, a…
"Surprise" X1.5 Solar Flare Detected Ahead Of NASA's Rocket Launch To Moon
"Surprise" X1.5 Solar Flare Detected Ahead Of NASA's Rocket Launch To Moon Space weather website SolarHam reported Monday morning that a "surprise X1.5 solar flare" was detected on the sun and may impact Earth within the next 48 hours. This comes ahead of NASA's Artemis II launch on Wednesday and could affect the launch if the solar storm is severe. "AR 4405 erupted this morning at 03:18 UTC (Mar. 30) with a surprise X1.5 solar flare. This event…
A solar eruption was detected on the night of Sunday 29 to Monday 30 March 2026, associated with a flow of particles heading towards the Earth. This, just a few days from the launch of Artemis II towards the Moon. But according to the Nasa, there would be no risk for the rocket.
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