That’s the message from four space scientists at the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory who warned of increased solar activity -- which can disrupt all types of communications, including GPS signals -- with the sun pumping out more solar flares over the next five years than any time since 2003.
The scientists cautioned, “if you are used to space weather being a non-factor in your operations, that is about to change.”
In a presentation to a civil GPS confab this Monday in Nashville, the APL scientists warned that “solar max” – what happens when the sun tosses off a lot of high-powered flares -- is approaching, resulting in increased GPS interference, including signal fading and precision errors.
If you have a Secret decoder ring, these folks plan to explain more about solar max and its potential impact at the Space Environment Applications, Systems, and Operations for National Security conference in Laurel, Md., Nov. 14-16.
Bob Brewin
Bob Brewin joined Government Executive in April 2007, bringing with him more than 20 years of experience as a journalist focusing on defense issues and technology. Bob covers the world of defense and information technology for Nextgov, and is the author of the “What’s Brewin” blog.
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