Ionosphere Monitoring and Prediction Center

Space weather impact on aviation – an important research area at DLR-SO

|   IMPC News

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Space weather, a term that refers to the interaction between solar activity and Earth's near space environment, has far-reaching impacts on various technologies, and aviation is no exception. While we are accustomed to thinking of weather in terms of clouds, winds, and storms, space weather, such as solar flares, geomagnetic storms, and cosmic rays, can significantly affect aviation operations. These effects range from disruptions in communication and navigation systems to increased radiation exposure for passengers and crew flying at high altitudes. As air travel continues to expand globally and aircraft fly at altitudes where the effects of space weather are more pronounced, understanding and mitigating the risks associated with space weather becomes crucial. Therefore, integrating space weather considerations into flight planning is not just an added precaution but a vital component in ensuring the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of modern air travel.

Specifically, the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) systems, which are crucial for aviation safety, are vulnerable to space weather disruptions. GNSS, which provides precise positioning and timing data, can experience signal degradation, inaccuracies, or even complete outages due to ionospheric disturbances induced by space weather. Similarly, ADS-B, a surveillance technology that relies on GNSS signals for aircraft positioning and tracking, can face degraded performance or failure during space weather events, affecting situational awareness and air traffic management.

The research at German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute for Solar-Terrestrial Physics (SO) into the impact of space weather on GNSS and ADS-B systems aims to enhance the resilience and reliability of aviation operations. By advancing our knowledge of how space weather interacts with these technologies, we can develop effective prediction models, real-time monitoring tools, and countermeasures to mitigate these disruptions. This research not only supports the safety of aviation but also helps ensure that systems like GNSS and ADS-B remain dependable, even during solar storms or other space weather events, ultimately safeguarding both aircraft and passengers.

DLR-SO is also a member of the Partnership of Excellence for Aviation Space weather User Service (PECASUS) consortium, a global space weather service supporting the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) under the leadership of the Finnish Metrological Institute (FMI).  DLR-SO provides products and coordinates developments in the field of GNSS user domain services. The results of this work are reflected with the various products in the IMPC.

Figure 1: During the 2024 Mother's Day Superstorm, particularly strong ionospheric gradients drifted across North America. This led to various GNSS disruptions, which also caused problems for aircraft navigation. The figure shows how the ionospheric gradients move through areas with dense air traffic.