Experts from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are gearing up for large-scale exercises that will help practice actions during a solar storm for the lunar mission Artemis 2. The training is planned for late April to early May, becoming a key stage in ensuring crew safety who will leave Earth's orbit for the first time since 1972. The launch of Artemis 2 is scheduled no later than April 2026.
The drills will take place at the new SWPC test site in Boulder (Colorado). Steve Johnson from NASA's Space Radiation Analysis Group (SRAG) noted: 'Working on the Moon will require a change in approaches because Earth's magnetic field will no longer shield the crew. The threat becomes constant, unlike operations aboard the ISS'. Onboard the Orion spacecraft, radiation monitoring sensors will be installed, and each astronaut will receive a personal dosimeter.
Rob Chambers from Lockheed Martin (Orion developer) explained: 'In case of a strong solar storm, the crew would have to take shelter in an improvised refuge inside the ship'. During the unmanned testing of Artemis 1, the AstroRad vest was successfully tested, showing a reduction in radiation dose by 40%-61%.