The Space Weather Follow On Program to Sustain Operational Space Weather Space-based Observations
Abstract
The Space Weather Follow On (SWFO) program supports the U.S. National Space Weather Strategy by sustaining operational space weather observation platforms and capabilities, and supporting observational modeling. The program supports the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s goal of reducing the impact of severe space weather events. SWFO seeks to establish the continuity of operational space weather observations beyond the current generation of missions, DSCOVR and the joint ESA/NASA SOHO. NOAA's Space Weather operational mission requires observational redundancy and continuous delivery of services. The current source of CME imagery is the SOHO mission, currently operating without redundancy and with an anticipated end of mission life in 2025. DSCOVR, which collects Solar Wind data, is susceptible to safeholds and other mission problems with the loss of any single string critical components. The SWFO program will provide essential coronal observations and in-situ space weather measurements that support the National Weather Service's (NWS) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) forecasting mission. Space weather is driven primarily by solar phenomena that include coronal mass ejections, solar flares, solar particle events, and regular solar wind. To fulfill NOAA's Space Weather requirements, NESDIS' plan forward for SWFO is to build the foundational capability required for the SWPC to issue watches and warnings. The plans currently include: 1) Building multiple Compact CORonagraph (CCOR) instruments; 2) Flying and operating a CCOR unit on the Sun-Earth line on the GOES-U spacecraft; 3) Procuring the SWFO-L1 spacecraftsatellite and a Solar Wind Instruments Suite (SWIS) that includes a Solar Wind Plasma Sensor (SWiPS), a Supra Thermal Ion Sensor (STIS), and a set of magnetometers; 4) Flying and operating the SWFO-L1 mission with SWIS and CCOR at Lagrange point 1 (L1); 5) Building and operating a robust ground architecture; and 6) Maintaining archives at NCEI for space-based data which are essential for model development and benchmarking. The SWFO Program is currently in the formulation phase and is expected to be operational in 2024.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFMNH41D0942V
- Keywords:
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- 4305 Space weather;
- NATURAL HAZARDS;
- 4313 Extreme events;
- NATURAL HAZARDS;
- 7914 Engineering for hazard mitigation;
- SPACE WEATHER;
- 7964 Policy;
- SPACE WEATHER