The space weather ‘Reporter’ Vigil will be the world’s first space weather mission that will be permanently deployed in Lagrange Point 5, a unique convenience point that allows us to see the days of solar activity before reaching the earth. The Vigil Mission of ESA will be a dedicated operating space weather mission, which will send 24/7 data from Deep Space.
Vigil’s equipment will significantly improve forecast capabilities as a space weather reporter in its unique location in deep space. From there, vigilance can see ‘around the corner of the sun’ and observe the activity on the surface of the sun before seeing from the earth. It can also see the Sun-Earth line side-on, which can give a pre-clear and clear picture of the coronal mass ejection (CME) moving towards the Earth.
Radiation, plasma and particle flow from the Sun to the Earth, depending on our society, can pose a very real risk for important infrastructure. This includes navigation, communication and banking services as well as power grids and satellites for radio communication on the ground.
A report by London’s Lloyd estimates that a serious space weather occurrence caused by such outbreak of solar activity, the global economy may spend $ 2.4 trillion in five years.
The ESA’s response to this rising danger is alertness, a plan for launch in 2031, a foundation stone mission of the agency’s space security program. Vigil’s data will greatly improve us initial warnings and forecasts, which in turn helps protect satellites, astronauts and significant infrastructure on the ground that we all depend.
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