NASA awards UNH $24M contract to build space weather sensors

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The University of New Hampshire has been awarded millions of dollars to develop sensors to monitor space weather that could affect technology on Earth.

The sensors will collect data on the solar wind and other radiation coming from the sun.

Solar flares and giant explosions called coronal mass ejections can send energetic particles toward Earth, triggering the beautiful northern lights but also jeopardizing technology in orbit and on the ground.

"It can also result in things like bringing down power grids, damaging commercial and, well, frankly, anybody's satellites," said deputy project director Toni Galvin. "And so, if you have some warning ahead of time, you can try to safe your systems and ride out the storm, so to speak. But that means you need to know something's coming and that something is going to affect you."

NASA has awarded UNH $24.3 million to build the sensors. Galvin said the sensors must be able to take quick measurements that can be analyzed quickly, so that enough warning could be given about solar storms.

The project is expected to take nine years to complete.