A bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate calls for several federal agencies to develop tools that can aid in the government’s space weather research and forecasting activities, Space News reported Wednesday.Jeff Foust writes the Space Weather Research and Forecasting Act would codify responsibilities of some agencies to help protect U.S. critical infrastructure from the impact of solar or geomagnetic storms.
Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) are the bill’s sponsors.
The bill would direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Defense Department to oversee space weather forecast operations in the government, Foust reports.
It also calls on the National Science Foundation and NASA to conduct space science studies and urges the Department of Homeland Security to examine how solar activity affects infrastructure systems.
