La Jornada: UNAM: space weather, a matter of national security

The study of space weather is central and Mexico has instruments, specific knowledge and self-sufficiency to face this challenge thanks to the Interplanetary Scintillation Observatory (Mexart) and the National Space Weather Laboratory (Lance), said the rector of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Leonardo Lomelí.

At the ceremony for the anniversaries: 20 of Mexart and 10 of Lance, he assured that these instances have fulfilled “the best of tradition and the university’s mission, which is to expand knowledge and put it at the service of society.”

He explained that the study of space weather could be perceived as a distant discipline, but today we know that these phenomena affect telecommunications, satellite navigation, aeronautical radio communication and even the response capabilities of civil protection systems.

UNAM highlighted that among the most relevant contributions of Mexart and Lance are the identification of structures in the solar wind that affect the propagation of radio signals, the publication of national catalogs of ionospheric disturbances and the early detection of intense solar events with potential impact on the country’s technological networks.

Concrete tools

At Mexart, the coordinator of Scientific Research, María Soledad Funes, stated that space weather has gone from being a topic of scientific interest to a matter of national security and in this transition the UNAM has played a central role, not only generating knowledge, but translating it into concrete tools at the service of the country.

Meanwhile, the head of the Michoacán Unit of the Institute of Geophysics, Américo González Esparza, highlighted that in 2024, Lance participated in the preparation of the Guide to space weather recommendations in Mexicoin conjunction with Cenapred, the Mexican Space Agency and the National Coordination of Civil Protection. The document represents a fundamental step: translating scientific knowledge into specific actions to reduce risks and strengthen the country’s resilience.