A new European Commission-backed study has assessed how an extreme “space weather” event could disrupt critical services across the EU, modelling a scenario in which the bloc has a fully operational space weather service by 2040.
Space weather refers to disturbances from the Sun — such as solar storms — that can affect satellites, communications and power systems, the European Commission noted in a release on Thursday.
The study examines potential impacts across multiple sectors and assesses risks under the forward-looking assumption that an advanced EU space weather service is in place by 2040.
It says further investment would still be needed even in that scenario, and that improving protection against space weather could bring broad benefits for society.
The work was delivered by the European Space Agency under an agreement with the European Commission, and carried out by a consortium led by PwC.
What EU “space weather” services are
Space weather is part of the Space Situational Awareness (SSA) component of the EU Space Programme, the Commission said.
The space weather (SWE) subcomponent is designed to support sectors that could be affected by space weather events, helping them prepare for and mitigate adverse effects.
The Commission has published the study online.
