Breakthrough improves early warnings to protect satellites and power grids
Scientists at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model that can forecast solar wind speeds up to four days in advance, significantly more accurately than current methods.
Solar wind is a continuous stream of charged particles released by the Sun. When these particles speed up, they can cause “space weather” events that disrupt Earth’s atmosphere and drag satellites out of orbit, damage their electrons, and interfere with power grids. In 2022, a strong solar wind event caused SpaceX to lose 40 Starlink satellites, showing the urgent need for better forecasting.
The NYUAD team, led by Postdoctoral Associate Dattaraj Dhuri and Co-Principal Investigator at the Center for Space Science (CASS) Shravan Hanasoge, trained their AI model using high-resolution ultraviolet (UV) images from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, combined with historical records of solar wind. Instead of analyzing text, like today’s popular AI language models, the system analyzes images of the Sun to identify patterns linked to solar wind changes. The result is a 45 percent improvement in forecast accuracy compared to current operational models, and a 20 percent improvement over previous AI-based approaches.
“This is a major step forward in protecting the satellites, navigation systems, and power infrastructure that modern life depends on,” said Dhuri, lead author of the study. “By combining advanced AI with solar observations, we can give early warnings that help safeguard critical technology on Earth and in space.”
The breakthrough demonstrates how AI can solve one of space science’s toughest challenges: predicting the solar wind. With more reliable forecasts, scientists and engineers can better prepare for space weather events, strengthening resilience against disruptions to critical infrastructure.
NYU Abu Dhabi has established more than 90 faculty labs and projects, producing over 9,200 internationally recognized research publications. Times Higher Education ranks NYU among the world’s top 35 universities, making NYUAD the highest globally ranked university in the UAE.
About NYU Abu Dhabi
NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and research campus
in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. Times Higher Education ranks NYU among the top 35 universities in the world, making NYU Abu Dhabi the highest globally ranked university in the UAE. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly selective undergraduate curriculum across the disciplines with a world center for advanced research and scholarship. The university enables its students in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and arts to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world and advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from over 120 countries and speak over 100 languages. Together, NYU’s campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.