Boulder space weather forecasters help with Artemis II mission

Colorado's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, is home to the Space Weather Prediction Center. They've been working for years to help ensure Artemis II is a successful mission.

Wednesday was a big day over at NOAA, as NASA astronauts made history.

"We're not nervous, we're prepared," said Shawn Dahl, a service member at the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), hours before the launch. "We are excited, and it's a thrill for many of us to support something like this."

The crew is monitoring real-time imagery of the sun and space activity near the Earth, ready to communicate any significant events to NASA.

"When it comes to space weather, the sun is a concern," Dahl added. "We're focused on things that can happen from the sun and materialize here on Earth."

Even after the launch, the forecaster's jobs are just beginning. They'll continue to monitor conditions around the clock, the entire time Artemis II is in space. Conditions could change in a matter of minutes.

"These energetic particles can get here within 15 minutes," said Dahl. "If it gets to a level that's of concern, any concern, doesn't mean there's gonna be a major problem to them, but one that's of concern that could elevate their risk of radiation exposure, which is what these particles can do, they can penetrate human tissue, they have some procedures in place."

The work the team does is wide-ranging and includes focusing on aviation and satellites. But, for the next 10 days, the mission is priority number one.

Dahl says there is a list of priorities they go through because it can take time to get to the next phone call or the next contact.

"Astronauts; Artemis II moved to the top of the list now," said Dahl.

For the first time ever, the SWPC will also help with the upcoming FIFA World Cup events this summer. Simply put, some of the weather events that happen in space can affect the power grid and communication systems here on Earth. They're able to help prevent those effects by communicating a heads-up.