Introducing the Protect Space Weather Demonstrator

1 – The Protect Accelerator

In line with the Council Resolution “Accelerating the Use of Space in Europe”, also known as the Matosinhos Manifesto, the ESA Director General established the Protection of Space Assets (Protect) Accelerator to contribute to safeguarding European assets from space debris and space weather interferences. This initiative is implemented by the ESA Directorate of Operations and leverages the capabilities developed within the Space Safety Programme (S2P).

Aligned with the Seville Resolution’s call to establish operational space weather services in Europe, ESA’s Strategy 2040 outlines this as a strategic priority. By engaging with key stakeholders, the Protect Accelerator seeks to raise awareness of the importance of reliable and accurate space weather now- and forecasts, ultimately enhancing the protection of both space assets and critical ground-based activities.

2 - Phase 1 of the Space Weather Demonstrator (Arctic Phase)

The Arctic Space Weather Demonstrator, launched in 2023, focused on testing the use of existing space weather services within a restricted geographical area during a period of increasing solar activity. This initiative was a joint Finnish-Norwegian contribution to the Protect Accelerator, with three key objectives:

• Collecting end-user feedback on ESA’s Space Weather Services.
• Improving understanding of space weather’s impact on key sectors.
• Raising awareness of the benefits of space weather services within new and existing user communities.

Published in 2024, the final report of the Arctic Phase highlighted space weather activity and resulting impacts in the region. It emphasised the need for comprehensive user engagement to shape relevant and impactful space weather services. Additionally, it highlighted the challenges of increasing awareness and accessibility of space weather services, the need for expanded service tailoring and integration into pre-existing systems, and the importance of improving forecasting reliability.

3 - Phase 2 of the Space Weather Demonstrator (Sectorial Phase)

Following requests from ESA Member States, the Protect Accelerator is now launching the second phase of its Space Weather Demonstrator: the Sectorial Space Weather Demonstrator. This phase aims to enhance sector-specific engagement and broaden participation across Europe, focusing on three high-priority domains:

• Power system operation
• Spacecraft operation
• Communications & PNT (Positioning, Navigation, and Timing)

Launched on 24 January 2025, the Sectorial Space Weather Demonstrator includes 14 organisations from 13 states, acting as National Points of Contact (NPOCs).

The initiative will distribute and collect a survey via the NPOCs, targeting key space weather end-users within the three identified priority sectors. The objectives include:

• Collecting end-user feedback on ESA Space Weather Services.
• Improving understanding of space weather impacts on critical sectors.
• Raising awareness of space weather service benefits among both new and existing user communities.

A workshop with all NPOCs was held in May 2025 to consolidate the intermediate conclusions drawn from the survey responses. These conclusions will be published in an interim report in summer 2025. In parallel, the Protect Accelerator team, in collaboration with the ESA Space Weather Office, will maintain close coordination with the NPOCs to facilitate follow-up discussions as needed to address specific user needs. These inputs, along with the final survey responses, will complement the interim report and contribute to the preparation of the final report.