Thursday, April 2, 2026

Comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) to reach SDO Field of View on April 4

Major Flare and CME on March 30, 2026

As NASA prepares for the Artemis II launch, the NASA Moon2Mars Space Weather Analysis Office is monitoring space weather activity to ensure a safe flight for the astronauts.  

To celebrate the upcoming Artemis flight, the Sun unleashed an X1.5 flare at at 02:47UT on March 30, 2026, and there was a beautiful eruption of a coronal mass ejection (CME). Flares and coronal mass ejections are not uncommon, but they can cause some space weather effects, which is why the M2M office monitors activity. The SDO team is closely watching the data products to be sure that the forecasters have what they need.

Go Artemis!