☕️📶 F-Layer Café by Steve — September 23 2025
- Steven Brown
- Sep 23
- 3 min read
🌞 Good Day!
Good day friends, as we reach the end of September, the past two weeks have been marked by significant advancements in space weather missions, collectively enhancing our understanding and improving our preparedness against solar phenomena. This period’s endeavors align with ongoing efforts to bolster the protection of our space assets and deepen our insights into the Sun’s influence on Earth's atmosphere.
📡 Major Space Weather Events
Notable events from the last two weeks
foF1 — NASA Launches Three New Space Weather Missions: On September 23, 2025, NASA and NOAA launched three pivotal missions: the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, the Space Weather Follow On - Lagrange 1, and the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory. These missions aim to enhance our understanding of solar and exospheric phenomena, crucial for safeguarding astronauts and satellies. Learn more.
foF2 — Mapping Ionospheric Electron Density Variations Across Ecuador: A study using GPS data from Ecuador mapped Total Electron Content, highlighting the effects of solar activity on ionospheric conditions. This research provides insights essential for improved GPS signal propagation. Read the study.
foF3 — F-Region Plasma Density Response During May 2024 Storm: Analysis of plasma density and irregularities during the May 2024 geomagnetic storm reveals critical patterns for space weather modeling, a key factor in developing robust satellite systems. Explore the research.
☕️🛰️ Research & Defense Highlights
Latest science + DoD focus
Research Shot – The study by E. D. López, B. A. Ubillus, and G. L. Guamán, published on February 7, 2025, in arXiv preprint, presents maps of Total Electron Content (TEC) over Ecuador derived from GPS data. This research investigates the relationship between solar activity and TEC, offering insights into ionospheric electron density variations, crucial for applications in satellite navigation. Read more.
DoD Shot – A recent update from the Department of Defense emphasizes the importance of the new missions launched on September 23, 2025, for enhancing space weather forecasting. The SWFO-L1 is expected to provide timely warnings of solar radiation events, improving the safety of astronauts and operational resilience of space-based systems. More details.
📡 What’s Coming Up?
Upcoming events are crucial for sharing knowledge and fostering collaboration among researchers and stakeholders in space weather science.
The 3rd Machine Learning in Heliophysics International Conference (ML-HELIO)
– September 22, 2025, at ESAC in Madrid, Spain. Organized by ESA, this event explores the integration of machine learning in heliophysics.
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European Space Weather Week 2025 (ESWW25)
– October 27, 2025, in Umeå, Sweden. This gathering, hosted by ESA and partners, focuses on advancing space weather knowledge globally.
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6th COSPAR Symposium
– November 3, 2025, in Nicosia, Cyprus. A global forum on space research topics impacting technology and understanding of space phenomena.
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Beacon Satellite Symposium 2025
– November 10, 2025, in Rome, Italy. Focused on satellite beacon data applications for ionospheric studies and space weather.
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✨ Stay Connected & Get Involved
We invite you to share your thoughts or questions about space weather and its impacts. Whether it’s a query or your own observations, feel free to reply to this newsletter or visit our webpage for further engagement. We also welcome any space-related photos you’d like to see featured in upcoming issues. Let’s keep the conversation going!
📖 Quick Glossary
Total Electron Content (TEC) — A measure of the total number of electrons along a path between a satellite and a receiver, used to assess ionospheric conditions that affect radio signal propagation. Equatorial Electrojet — A strong eastward current flowing in the ionosphere near the magnetic equator caused by enhanced conductivity along the Earth's magnetic field lines. Cowling Conductivity — An anomalously high electrical conductivity in the equatorial ionosphere that occurs due to the unique magnetic field configuration, facilitating strong horizontal currents. Heliosphere — The vast bubble-like region of space dominated by the solar wind emitted by the Sun, protecting the solar system from interstellar radiation. Sun-Earth L1 Lagrange Point — A gravitationally stable point about 1.6 million kilometers from Earth toward the Sun, where spacecraft can continuously monitor solar and space weather conditions. Geomagnetic Storm — A temporary disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere caused by solar wind and solar activity, which can affect satellite operations and communications. Swarm Satellites — A European Space Agency constellation of satellites designed to measure the Earth's magnetic field and its variations. Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) — A satellite mission that maps Earth's gravity field, providing insight into mass distribution and geophysical processes including ionospheric studies. Carruthers Geocorona Observatory — A NASA mission named after George Carruthers to observe Earth's exosphere and its role as a shield against solar storms, using ultraviolet imaging.
By Steve Brown — Space Weather & SDA Technical Advisor
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