European Space Agency (ESA)

Europe's gateway to space, operating solar observation missions including the SOHO satellite. - Actively monitoring event via SOHO satellite

On January 18, 2026, the Sun fired the most intense radiation storm in over 20 years directly at Earth. An X1.9-class flare launched a coronal mass ejection traveling at 1,700 kilometers per second—plasma moving fast enough to cross the Sun-Earth distance in just 25 hours. The resulting geomagnetic storm reached G4 (Severe) levels, placing it at the top of warning scales and triggering auroras visible from Texas to Italy. Three weeks later, the Sun has not quieted. On February 2, a massive sunspot region designated AR4366—nearly 10 times wider than Earth—erupted with an X8.1 flare, the strongest since the January event. Two days later, on February 4, another X4.2 flare followed, with additional M-class flares crackling almost continuously from the same region.

Updated Feb 7

ESA buys the launches, integrates the tech, and absorbs the blame when Europe’s access-to-space chain breaks. - Confirms VA266 success and begins early orbit operations/in-orbit testing for SAT 33/34; projects 29 active satellites after commissioning.

VA266 didn’t just lift off—ESA has now formally declared the mission successful after acquisition of signal, confirming Galileo SAT 33 and SAT 34 are healthy with their solar arrays deployed. That shifts the story from launch drama to operations: early-orbit checks and in-orbit testing, then a slow drift toward Galileo’s 23,222 km operational regime.

Updated Dec 20, 2025