The UK’s £700m mission to stop Russia and China using the sun against their enemies

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1. Britain is launching a £700m mission to monitor extreme “[space](https://inews.co.uk/topic/space?srsltid=AfmBOopQFqn_K71QM56SQmvJmNmyKyb1ZAW3poqFNXevIZZ-RMnLni-7&ico=in-line_link) weather” amid growing concern it could be [harnessed by hostile states](https://inews.co.uk/topic/national-security?srsltid=AfmBOoohmMIY5xnyXdf1w6tUDjFh63d7z12zgB7-R-hn1mxXSS674h83&ico=in-line_link), *The i Paper* can reveal.

   The European Space Agency’s *Vigil* satellite will be the world’s first asset to permanently monitor the Sun from a unique vantage point in deep space and deliver early warnings of incoming solar storms.

   Flares and eruptions from the Sun deliver powerful bursts of energy that can create a major disturbance in the Earth’s magnetic field, knocking out critical space infrastructure.

   Insurance firm Lloyds recently estimated that an extreme solar event could lead to worldwide chaos with grounded flights, silent phones and frozen financial networks, wiping as much as $2.4trn from global GBP over five years.

   The UK government estimates losing just its own space assets would cost £1bn a day to the economy.

   There is also concern that solar storms – which scientists believes are set to become more frequent and intense in the coming decades – can jam GPS and radar systems used in defence.

   This is becoming an increasing security concern, as it is feared that if countries including [Russia ](https://inews.co.uk/topic/russia?ico=in-line_link)and [China ](https://inews.co.uk/topic/china?ico=in-line_link)have knowledge of when these solar storms are coming – they could take advantage of radar systems being knocked out.

2. Headline is imo a bit misleading:

   Solar flares can knock out satellites and assets in orbit, leaving a country vulnerable to attack for a period of time.

   Theres no fear that China and Russia can or will be able to control the solar flares, but being able to predict them accurately would give a military advantage. The UK is investing money to develop a prediction system, partly under the fear that adversaries might do so first.

3. > if countries including Russia and China have knowledge of when these solar storms are coming – they could take advantage of radar systems being knocked out.

   So now space research gets funded only if the scientists can tie it to national security, however far-fetched the link? I guess Cold War 2.0 has truly begun.

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