Space weather refers to the influence of solar activity on the Earth and the near-Earth environment. Solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar energetic particles can disrupt satellite operations, damage power grids, and risk the health of aircrew and astronauts.
The impacts of space weather fall onto a spectrum. Lower impacts of space weather are experienced often, as satellite operators frequently adjust satellite orbits to deal with the loss in altitude resulting from solar flares. Larger impacts of space weather, however, are far rarer.
