Solar storms and flares could soon be detected in advance of communication blackouts; aurora borealis appearances [Video]

Editor’s Note: The above video shows KXAN News’ top morning headlines from Tuesday, June 25, 2024.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Space weather has a notorious habit of wreaking havoc on Earth. Solar flares and coronal mass ejections — enormous bubbles of plasma that burst from the sun — can disrupt power grids and communication systems. NASA is taking steps to predict these events, giving us a leg up before disaster strikes.

This week, the space agency is launching the last in a series of satellites into orbit that will help monitor solar activity and weather here on Earth. The GOES-U satellite will provide “advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements” of our weather and space, according to NASA.

GOES-U is the fourth satellite in the Geostationary Operation Environmental Satellites – R Series. It will be the 19th GOES satellite. The satellite is scheduled to launch June 25th at 4:16pm (CT).

In addition to watching the sun, it will work alongside GOES-18 to …