Solar Storms Threaten Flight Safety | Leicester News

Solar storms are posing serious risks to aviation, with radiation at cruising altitudes skyrocketing to levels that can fry aircraft electronics. A 2025 storm spiked radiation nearly tenfold, while the 1956 superstorm could’ve exposed passengers to a year’s worth of flight radiation. Last October, a JetBlue flight made an emergency landing after a sudden altitude drop, injuring 15 — and Airbus grounded thousands of A320s due to vulnerable flight control systems. The real danger? “Single Event Upsets” — tiny glitches that pile up and disrupt critical systems, potentially escalating from a few per hour to thousands. Scientists are now pushing for new radiation measurement tools tailored to aviation, so airlines can reroute or ground flights during extreme space weather — because right now, there’s no clear safety protocol. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/d94e2bccb59ff9fa