Flare wars

The UK Space Agency is funding a weather spacecraft to monitor huge solar flares that could knock out communications on Earth. The European Space Agency mission will give an early warning, days ahead of a damaging solar storm, caused when the Sun ejects super-heated radioactive material that can disrupt modern technology. The mission – called ‘Lagrange’ – will see a spacecraft ‘parked’ between the Sun and Earth. Three of the four teams developing the craft and instruments are from Britain; University College London, Airbus UK and the Science and Technology Facilities Council.