Space Weather

RESITEK: Space Weather
RESITEK is developing new methods for monitoring, analyzing and forecasting space weather in order to identify risks at an early stage and enable targeted protective measures for critical infrastructure and people.
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Space weather encompasses solar storms and other phenomena that can disrupt satellites, radio links and power grids. The health of individuals, particularly aviation personnel, can also be affected by space weather. Such events are difficult to predict and pose a growing threat to technological infrastructure. RESITEK is developing new methods for monitoring, analyzing and forecasting space weather in order to identify risks at an early stage and enable targeted protective measures for critical infrastructure and people.

Together, these institutes create the scientific basis for comprehensive monitoring and targeted protective measures against the risks of space weather.

Institute for Solar-Terrestrial Physics

Deals with the coupled system of the ionosphere, thermosphere and magnetosphere (ITM) and its external influences: the sun (space weather) and the underlying atmosphere. The institute covers both basic and applied research and pursues the goal of protecting infrastructure (such as power grids and satellite navigation systems) through timely, accurate and reliable observations and forecasts.

Institute of Atmospheric Physics

Uses the “Upper Atmosphere (UA)” extension of the ICON atmospheric model (the standard model of the German Weather Service) to study atmospheric dynamics. Unlike the Weather Service's operational model, the UA-ICON version describes the atmosphere up to an altitude of 150 km -- an altitude at which space weather effects play a major role. The results are validated using the institute's own lidar measurements and in cooperation with other DLR institutes, and serve as input for space weather models.

Galileo Competence Center

Investigates the effects of space weather and other anomalies (e.g. jamming, spoofing) on the accuracy of satellite navigation in near real time. This information is provided by a mobile GNSS monitoring station, and warnings are forwarded to selected users. This allows emergency responders operating remote-controlled devices (e.g. drones) to know whether they can rely on satellite navigation during their operations. In addition to monitoring, the Galileo Competence Center has also investigated the impact of increased solar activity on GNSS in various scenarios. This involved simulations of solar radiation pressure and how it affects the orbits of satellites. Furthermore, consideration was given to how the behaviour of receivers changes under increased levels of scintillation.

Institute of Aerospace Medicine

Methods are being developed to improve the nowcasting of radiation exposure at aviation altitudes induced by space weather radiation events and corresponding mitigation strategies are to be evaluated.

Institute for Frontier Materials on Earth and in Space

Tests and integrates measurement systems for detecting ionospheric disturbances on a sounding rocket by collecting GNSS reflectometry data at altitudes between 80 km and 300 km, which are evaluated by the Institute for Solar-Terrestrial Physics.

German Remote Sensing Data Center

Provides high-resolution observational data on atmospheric temperature at an altitude of approximately 90 km, thereby supporting the validation of the simulations created by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics using UA-ICON. This allows any remaining discrepancies between measurement and model in this previously little-researched altitude region, which is gaining increasing geopolitical relevance, to be precisely quantified.