A Space Weather Forecasting Centre has been inaugurated in Adelaide to help Australia's space industry prepare for space weather events.
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The Bureau of Meteorology's dedicated centre will deliver 24/7 space weather forecasting and warning services.
Just like on Earth, weather in space is principally driven by the Sun. During solar storms, explosions called solar flares break out, which can affect communications, GPS, aviation and energy supply.
According to NASA, solar flares send energy hurtling through space at the speed of light. Sometimes flares come with huge solar eruptions, called coronal mass ejections.
The Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre is based at Lot Fourteen in Adelaide, alongside 80 other space industry agencies and businesses.
"From our forecasting centre in Adelaide, we can predict how events on the Sun might affect us here on Earth, 150 million kilometres away," operations manager Dr Kate Brand said.
" As our reliance on technology grows, so does the risk of disruption to our lives from these events."
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This week, NASA confirmed that a solar flare hit earth , disrupting GPS and radio signals, and posing risks to spacecraft and astronauts.
BOM's expansion of its space weather capability will improve industry and government understanding of space weather events and the impacts on our security and Australian lives.
