Future of Space Weather in Europe

By Suzy Bingham & Iulia Chifu  

On Wednesday, 29 October 2025, the European Space Weather Week (ESWW) will host a high-level panel discussion on “The Future of Space Weather in Europe.” The session will bring together leading figures from international agencies, research networks, and European institutions to debate the future course, challenges, and opportunities in space weather. 

Among the confirmed panellists are:

• Mamoru Ishii, Director of the International Space Environment Service (ISES)
• Juha-Pekka Luntama, ESA Space Weather Office
• Stefaan Poedts, E-SWAN
• Thea Dethlefsen, European Commission DEFIS
• Johan Kölher, Swedish National Space Agency

ESWW participants are invited to take part by submitting questions to the panel in advance. Questions can be sent up until 15 October to suzy.bingham[at]metoffice.gov.uk. All submissions will be published in an online forum where participants may vote for their favourites. Voting closes at 13:00 on Tuesday, 28 October. Authors of the top-voted questions will have the chance to ask them directly to the panellists during the live session.

As space weather becomes increasingly critical to the safety of satellites, power grids, and navigation systems, European leaders and experts are advocating for a coordinated, long-term strategy to strengthen resilience and global leadership. Their vision positions Europe as both a self-reliant provider of world-class space weather services and a leading contributor to international efforts aimed at mitigating the risks of space weather hazards - ultimately strengthening global resilience. Below, we share some of their insights on the future of space weather in Europe!

“[…] the future of Space Weather in Europe is bright, but we need to work hard to ensure that such a future really happens.”

Juha-Pekka Luntama, Head of Space Weather Office at the European Space Agency (ESA)

ESA is mandated by its Member States to develop Europe’s space weather capabilities to monitor, forecast and mitigate the impacts. Developments include the implementation of space- and ground-based observation systems and service development. Its Space Weather Service Network operates as an R2O2R framework for testing, validating, and maturing new capabilities with end-users in the loop. The network provides pre-operational data and products. ESA is considered as the architect of the European Space Weather System.

My view is that Europe must be able to provide operational space weather services to support safety and resilience of European critical infrastructure and applications in space and on the ground. Europe should have independent capability for the service provision and a world class space weather monitoring system. Global, sustainable space weather monitoring should be based on international collaboration and data exchange. Europe needs a strong space weather programme starting from scientific research and prototyping, continuing through R2O(2R) and finally adopting new capabilities as part of an operational space weather service. The user needs for such a programme and system must be continuously updated in close collaboration with the end-users and stakeholders. For this, Europe needs a long-term plan with a clear goal for an end-to-end space weather capability and the resources for implementing such a plan. In parallel, Europe needs to be an active partner in international collaboration and coordination of space weather observations. Europe can be a leading contributor to a global space weather warning system, subject to the support by European states.

"[...] Europe’s space weather capabilities will further develop, becoming less dependent on U.S. data and models."

Stefaan Poedts, President of the European Space Weather and Space Climate Association (E-SWAN)

E-SWAN is an international non-profit association established in 2022 to unite, sustain, and advance Space Weather and Space Climate activities across Europe. It supports ESWW, space weather and space climate-related workshops and schools financially. 

E-SWAN is organised and contains four independent Committees: AwCom, ESWW-PC, PubCom and EOCom. The E-SWAN Awards Committee (AwCom) inherited the full responsibility of the three International Space Weather and Space Climate Medals. The ESWW Programme Committee (PC) also became an official E-SWAN component. It organises the annual ESWW conference in collaboration with the LOC and takes ownership of formulating the technical and scientific programme. PubCom is responsible for publishing selected print material relevant to the SWSC community and is responsible for the editorial activity connected to the Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate (JSWSC) and for publishing SWSC-related material outside of JSWSC, including a monthly E-SWAN Newsletter. The EOCom initiated a series of booklets designed to communicate the effects of space weather in a relatable, accessible manner. It also launched an E-SWAN school series and published a book on space weather and space climate.

I envision that Europe’s space weather capabilities will further develop, becoming less dependent on U.S. data and models.

Johan Köhler, Director of Space Research and Development at the Swedish National Space Agency (SNSA)

The Swedish National Space Agency (SNSA) represents Sweden in ESA, the EU Space Programme, and the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), helping shape Europe’s space weather capabilities. It funds research, supports technology development, and promotes open data access. SNSA invests in ESA’s Space Safety Programme, including the Vigil mission (L5 solar storm warnings), the Aurora mission (auroral monitoring), and the Swedish-Danish magnetometer network. At the EU level, it supports the integration of space weather services in Space Situational Awareness (SSA). Within COPUOS, it supports international guidelines on data sharing and sustainable space operations.

Europe is advancing towards an operational space weather service with reliability comparable to today’s meteorological forecasting. This future combines space- and ground-based advanced monitoring, AI-driven prediction models, and strong international partnerships. ESA’s Vigil mission and a European space weather service will be central, providing early warnings to safeguard satellites, power grids, and navigation systems. SNSA’s role is to ensure Swedish research and industry contribute to these efforts and that Europe remains a global leader in space weather resilience, supporting both societal security and the growing space economy.

“The future of space weather in Europe will be shaped by collaboration and cooperation among national institutes, research organisations, and European institutions.”

Thea Dethlefsen, Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS)

Through the SSA component of the EU Space Programme, the European Commission's DG DEFIS was entrusted with the mission to develop dedicated space weather services to support GNSS users and space operations, including satellite operators and Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) providers. Although we are still in the early stages of service development, we have a long history of Horizon Europe space weather research projects. We are now shifting our focus towards establishing more operational capabilities, building on the foundations laid by these research projects. Our goal now is to build these initial services as a foundation, enabling future expansion into additional sectors.

The future of space weather in Europe will be shaped by collaboration and cooperation among national institutes, research organisations, and European institutions. We recognise the value of leveraging existing expertise and strengths to create a more comprehensive and coordinated approach to space weather. Our approach will focus on building effective partnerships, including with ESA, and investing in targeted research projects to improve our understanding and forecasting of space weather. By working together and sharing data and knowledge, including at an international level, we can make progress in this important area and better support European space activities.

Mamoru Ishii, Director of the International Space Environment Service (ISES)

ISES is a consortium of organisations from all over the world, operating space weather services. ISES has 24 member countries, and about half of these lie in Europe. This means that Europe is an important region for ISES. Establishing a “global space weather warning system” is a goal for ISES – with coordination across the world to prepare for severe space weather impacts.

In this context, Europe could become the first region to establish coordinated space weather services. For example, by establishing a European ground-based observation centre – such as for magnetometer, ionosonde, GNSS receiver, and neutron monitor data in Europe - collecting and sharing observational data, ideally in real time. Also, it would be ideal to develop the space weather forecast model and forecast system as a European community effort, rather than by individual countries alone. Europe already has some excellent background to discuss these, for example, PECASUS in the ICAO space weather service, PITHIA in the ionosonde observation network and E-SWAN. Once the coordination efforts for a space weather service in Europe show successful results, the approach should be expanded globally to establish a "global space weather warning system".