Prelims: Current events of national and international importance| Science and technology.
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Recently, The United States has operationalized SOLAR-1 (Space Weather Observations at L1 to Advance Readiness–1).
SOLAR-1 – It is the first satellite exclusively dedicated to continuous space weather monitoring.
The satellite was initially known as Space Weather Follow-On – Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) before being renamed SOLAR-1.
Managed by – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Launched on – 24 September 2025.
Launched using – Falcon 9 rocket.
Position – SOLAR-1 is positioned at the Sun–Earth Lagrange Point 1, approximately 1.6 million kilometres from Earth in the direction of the Sun.
This strategic location provides an uninterrupted view of solar activity while benefiting from gravitational stability, enabling efficient station-keeping with minimal fuel consumption.
Objective – To continuously monitor solar phenomena and provide early warnings of space weather events.
Key features – Equipped with a compact coronagraph telescope and advanced instruments.
It observes solar activity, measures solar wind conditions in real time, and tracks coronal mass ejections (CMEs) before they reach Earth.
A key advancement of SOLAR-1 is its ability to deliver CME imagery to NOAA’s forecasting systems within 30 minutes, a significant improvement over older systems that could take up to eight hours.
This enhanced capability is expected to improve forecasting of auroras.
It will strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure, including power grids, satellite networks, navigation systems, communication services, and space missions from the impacts of severe space weather.
