Assessment of Vulnerability of U.S. National Airspace System to Space Weather

Space Weather can negatively impact civil aviation’s ability to navigate, communicate, and protect people and systems from radiation. Geomagnetic storms can create ionospheric disturbances causing inaccurate Global Positioning System (GPS)/Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning of aircraft within the National Airspace System (NAS). These inaccuracies can affect commercial aircraft precision landing as well as high fidelity navigation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) at all altitudes. A digitally-based, highly connected and distributed Info-Centric NAS (ICN), more reliant on space-based assets to operate, could be vulnerable to disruptions caused by solar storms. Radiation storms caused by energetic solar protons can disrupt high frequency (HF) radio communication, thereby blocking communication that can affect aircraft that only have HF available for Air Traffic Control and Aeronautical Operational Control communication. These same energetic protons can penetrate deep into objects they collide with causing damage to biological DNA or electronic circuits putting people and avionics in high flying aircraft at risk to radiation exposure.

This paper will share assessment results summarizing potential NAS vulnerabilities to space weather, as currently operated and as it advances towards ICN, supporting more diverse and potentially susceptible commercial space, UAS, and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operations. This assessment will include investigations into potential vulnerabilities of precision operations reliant upon GPS/GNSS, of radiation effects on biologics and avionics in commercial flights, supersonic aircraft operations, and space tourism, and FAA and stakeholder decision-making preparedness and available space weather information that may be needed to mitigate civil aviation and aerospace operational impacts.

NOTICE

This work was produced for the U.S. Government under Contract 693KA8-22-C-00001 and is subject to Federal Aviation Administration Acquisition Management System Clause 3.5-13, Rights In Data-General, Alt. III and Alt. IV (Oct. 1996).

The contents of this document reflect the views of the author and The MITRE Corporation and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or the Department of Transportation (DOT). Neither the FAA nor the DOT makes any warranty or guarantee, expressed or implied, concerning the content or accuracy of these views.

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