The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) has released the results of the nation’s first end-to-end Space Weather (SWx) Tabletop Exercise (TTX), which was held on May 8-9, 2024. The After Action Report is now available to the public.
Designed specifically to simulate and review the government’s preparedness for a severe space weather event, the exercise tested interagency coordination, response protocols and communications across a wide range of industry and critical infrastructure sectors, including:
- Intense radiation exposure to satellites, astronauts and commercial aviation
- Radio communications outages and disruptions
- Loss of functionality or degraded performance of GPS for precision navigation and timing
- Reduced ability to communicate with and track on-orbit satellites
- Local- to regional-scale power outages, affecting railways and even pipelines
The TTX approach was adapted from the Department of Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP), and featured participants from over 25 federal, state, tribal territory and local agencies. The hypothetical scenario simulated a series of solar events with wide-ranging effects on Earth as well as the region between Earth and the moon.
Key findings from the TTX showed that this exercise
- Demonstrated the need for better coordination to produce meaningful and understandable Space Weather notifications that are useful for operations and clearly describe the potential impacts on critical infrastructure.
- Emphasized the importance of a whole-of-government approach, especially federal-regional-state level coordination and awareness, while also highlighting existing gaps that need filling to ensure streamlined and rapid response.
- Provided opportunities to understand current technology limitations and discussed possibilities for improved forecasting capabilities, including suggestions to place spacecraft farther upstream to provide earlier warning of impending storms.
- Underscored the need for a national space weather education campaign to raise awareness of risks and improve public understanding.
- Demonstrated the need for a more coordinated and streamlined communications plan with the public through federal, state, and local agencies, and on social media, with particular emphasis on impact rather than technical science.
- Served as an exemplary event demonstrating the benefits of a whole-of-government exercise to prepare for scientifically complex threats.
“This exercise brought together space weather experts alongside those responsible for emergency management, response, and recovery,” said Ian Cohen, APL Exercise Science Lead. “This helped us scientists to not only provide awareness to these senior leaders, but also highlight the key research and observational gaps, as well as learn how to best communicate the complicated topics of space weather to decision makers.”
The TTX was sponsored jointly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). APL developed with NOAA, NASA, NSF, and FEMA the content for the exercise. APL coordinated, hosted, and executed the exercise, along with collecting, collating, and reporting the data and results.
In a remarkable coincidence, it is important to note that a significant real-world space weather event—the largest geomagnetic disturbance in more than 20 years (the “Gannon Storm”)—began at the same time as the exercise. These extraordinary events required key participants to simultaneously manage both simulated actions of the TTX and the real-world needs of the nation. The TTX was developed independently and did not replicate the event or intentionally align with the timing.