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Space weather forecasts for Gaia launch
The Gaia spacecraft will be launched by Arianespace from Kourou (French Guiana) using a Soyuz-STB/Fregat-MT vehicle. The SSA Space weather Coordination Centre is giving support during the launch. Space weather forecasts for Gaia launch
Tenth edition of the “European Space Weather Week” (ESWW) More than 350 scientists, satellite and network operators worldwide gather in Antwerp next week to discuss the theme Space Weather during the tenth edition of the “European Space Weather Week” (ESWW). During this international congress, they will address the question how vulnerable and at the same time how resilient the society is during severe space weather.
Research into the causes of solar storms, the strategic organization of the data charts of the Sun, space, the Earth and its environment, as well as the continuous space weather monitoring should help us to find an appropriate answer on the threat and impact of space weather. Details on the ESWW congress website
Cluster shows plasmasphere interacting with Van Allen belts 18 September 2013 - The invisible bubble created by Earth’s magnetic field, the magnetosphere, has been studied by space missions for more than half a century.
One of the first scientific discoveries in space was the existence of two radiation belts in 1958. Another region of the inner magnetosphere, the plasmasphere, has been discovered in the late 50’s. A new contribution on the links between those two regions has been made by a team of physicists, led by Fabien Darrouzet. Complete article: "Plasmasphere interacting with Van Allen belts"
EPT first results! 11 September 2013 - The Energetic Particle Telescope (EPT) is a compact and modular ionizing particle spectrometer that for the detection of particle fluxes in the space environment. EPT is integrated on the Belgian PROBA-V-satellite, that was launched on 7 May 2013. The design of this instrument results from a fruitful collaboration between BIRA-IASB and UCL (Université Catholique de Louvain-La-Neuve) and QinetiQ Space. Data management is assured by the B.USOC.
"With the new measurements of EPT the models of space radiation will improve," says Viviane Pierrard, scientific responsible of the instrument at BIRA-IASB. This instrument was realized thanks to the BIRA-IASB engineering team, especially Jeroen Maes, Sabrina Bonnewijn, Emiel Van Ransbeeck and Eddy Neefs.
Proof of steady wind escaping from plasmaphere 10 July 2013 - A proof of the existence of the plasmaspheric wind, that was first proposed theoretically over 20 years ago by BIRA-IASB scientist Joseph Lemaire and scientist Robert Schunk of the Utah State University, has been discovered by ESA's Cluster mission.
“This discovery confirms that Earth's ionosphere and plasmasphere feed the outer region of the magnetosphere on a regular basis, and not only during active periods.”: says Iannis Dandouras. This discovery is essential for understanding the dynamics of the magnetosphere, and also for understanding the underlying physical mechanisms of some space weather phenomena modeled by the Space Physics team of BIRA-IASB for several years. This allows to study Earth's atmospheric loss in great detail and to compare it with similar phenomena that occur on other planets in the Solar System. Read more:
Solar instrument five years in space 4 April 2013 - The space instrument SOLAR / SOLSPEC celebrates its 5th anniversary since its launch. This Franco-Belgian unit measures the amount of solar radiation (solar flux) from space.
ESA’s new Space Weather Centre Opens in Brussels 3 April 2013 - This morning the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Solar-Terrestrial Centre of Excellence (STCE) formally inaugurated the Space Weather Service Coordination Centre (SSCC).
Located at the ‘Space Pole’ in Brussels, the Space Weather Coordination Centre (SSCC) includes the first European space weather helpdesk and, through this, rapid access to expert support on:
This is made possible by networking and building on key European assets and expertise.
EPT on the Proba-V satellite
The instrument:
The design of this instrument results from a fruitful collaboration between BIRA-IASB and UCL (Université Catholique de Louvain-La-Neuve). More on http://ept.aeronomie.be
10000 users
Consisting of a web interface, it is used by engineers in defining space missions and designing space instruments. SPENVIS allows an initial analysis of problems associated with the space environment and its effects.
Live UV index Antarctica
By the end of 2012, the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB) has deployed its UV-B and UV-A and pyranometer sensors for the measurement of the global solar irradiation in the UV and visible wavelength ranges.
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19 December 2013 - Gaia is a ESA science mission designed to make the largest, most precise three-dimensional map of our Galaxy by surveying an unprecedented one per cent of its population of 100 billion stars. 
