Super solar storm: ESA warns of current threat from extreme solar activity.

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Cyberattacks, blackouts, pandemics—we’re all familiar with these threats. But an invisible danger lurks above our heads: an extreme solar storm. What sounds like science fiction has long been reality according to the European Space Agency (ESA) – and is highly dangerous.

The reason for the fears: the sun is currently more active than expected. Its eruptions hurl plasma into space with enormous force. If such a coronal mass ejection hits the Earth, it can paralyze everything in three destructive waves: GPS, power grids, satellites – all within hours.

The situation is serious: the European Space Agency (ESA) has played out this very scenario – not as a game, but as preparation. “It’s not a question of if it will happen, but when,” warns ESA simulation expert Gustavo Baldo.

The simulation was based on the historic Carrington event of 1859, the most violent solar storm to date. Back then, the consequences were manageable – today, the world would be much more vulnerable. According to a study, up to 40 million people in the US would be without power for up to two years. The cost: up to (the equivalent of) 2.3 trillion euros.

Satellites would be particularly affected by a super solar storm. Air resistance could quadruple, orbits would become unstable, and collisions would be imminent. “There are no perfect solutions, only damage control,” says ESA satellite manager Thomas Ormston. Navigation systems would also fail, further increasing the risk of collision.

Space weather coordinator Jorge Amaya draws a comparison with the coronavirus crisis: “As with a pandemic, we will only experience the true impact when it happens. But we must act now.”

The fact is: a solar storm that brings our modern life to its knees is no longer science fiction. The ESA is preparing itself – and warns that we must be ready too.