University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is providing two solar storm forecasting models that are undergoing their first operational test during the Artemis II translunar transit. One model uses imagery from the SDO and SOHO spacecraft to generate daily solar particle event probability scores; the other is a physics-based simulation capable of issuing up to 24 hours' advance warning of a major storm, though it requires 3,000 processing units on a NASA supercomputer to run.

The University of Michigan is a major public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, consistently ranked among the world's top institutions for engineering and space Science. Its involvement in Artemis II centres on its Space weather Laboratory, which has spent years developing predictive models for solar energetic particle (SEP) events. The Artemis transit represents the first time humans have ventured FAR enough from Earth for these models to be tested in conditions that matter for crew safety, rather than simulated scenarios.

Only the top 5% of solar particle events produce radiation exposure sufficient to cause nausea-level symptoms in unprotected crew. The Michigan models aim to distinguish routine events from those requiring crew shelter in Orion's storm shelter area. Success during Artemis II would validate the models for use on Artemis III and future Lunar Gateway rotations, where astronauts may be days away from emergency Earth return.