What's the point of knowing space weather down here on Earth?

Quite a lot, says the head of the ESA satellite mission in Darmstadt, Simon Plum.

After all, the effects of solar storms, for example, can cause billions of euros in damage if they are not recognized in good time and countermeasures are not taken.

To prevent such damage, ESA opened a Space Security Center on Tuesday.

For the new ESA Director Josef Aschbacher it was also his first public appearance.

Security in space has nothing to do with the military, says Aschbacher.

Rather, it is about protecting the astronauts on space missions or the technology of the satellites from Earth.

Because there's a lot going on in space.

It is not just the solar storms that, depending on their intensity, can significantly affect the operation of both satellites and space stations.

Satellites in the solar storm

It is also the space junk that meanders en masse through space.

This includes the remains of rockets, small meteorite parts or disused satellites.

More than once, space crews have had to fly evasive maneuvers to avoid collisions.

"In the future, we will monitor space around the clock," said Plum in an interview with the FAZ. Experts are sitting in the new monitoring center, staring spellbound at large screens and evaluating the data received from space.

So there is a current mission called Viking, in which a satellite constantly observes the sun from the side and collects the data of the solar storms and radios to earth.

This data is evaluated there.

They can be used to calculate in advance what impact a strong solar storm could have on which space mission and ultimately also on Earth.

In an emergency, the satellites whose data are urgently needed on earth would be particularly affected.

For example for navigation.

The technology of the affected satellites could even be permanently damaged by strong solar storms.

However, if the effects of the solar storms are known early on, the satellite technology can be shut down briefly to prevent damage, as Plum explained.

22 satellites for interplanetary observation and earth observation are currently controlled and monitored from Darmstadt.

In addition, the new center, whose technology is constantly being further developed, is a key element for future ESA activities in the area of ​​space traffic management.

A milestone in scrap avoidance

Asteroids are also the focus of space surveillance.

After all, if they hit a space station with great force, it could have devastating consequences.

If their trajectory can be predicted in time, the space stations can change their trajectory for a short time.

And if a large asteroid was heading for Earth and crashed there, the affected region could be warned in good time or countermeasures could be taken.

That's why the new control center is a milestone, says the ESA director.

With the knowledge that will be gained in the coming months and years, ESA intends to develop strategies for avoiding space debris or removing it from the orbits of satellites and space stations.

Josef Aschbacher is convinced of the success of the new field of activity.

After all, ESA now has 60 years of experience with space missions.

"We want to ensure safety in space," is the requirement.

ESA learned not long ago that the threat posed by the solar winds in particular is to be taken seriously, when 40 satellites in space were suddenly pushed into deeper layers of the atmosphere.

"We still have a lot planned," announced the ESA director.

All this costs a lot of money, which is why the next projects are to be discussed with leading politicians at European Union level this autumn.