Artemis 2 launch and space weather

Artemis II is scheduled to launch tomorrow (April 1, 2026) on a 10-day mission around the Moon. Traveling outside the Earth magnetosphere may pose additional risks from the space weather events (for review of early studies see Chen et al 2024). NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center will provide forecast of space weather conditions for the duration of mission (see article in Space.com), and the NSF's GONG observations will contribute to the modeling. In addition, recent GONG farside images suggest a relatively low level of sunspot activity on a farside of the Sun for the incoming two weeks.