The space agency believes the event could happen within the next decade.
NASA has launched a spacecraft in an attempt to avert a possible “internet apocalypse”, which could leave people across the globe without internet access for months.
Scientists have warned about the impacts of a potential upcoming solar storm. They believe the seismic event could occur within the next decade.
The spacecraft launched by the US space agency is the Parker Solar Probe (PSP), which has recently achieved the milestone of navigating through the solar wind.
The PSP, travelling close to the sun’s surface, had to withstand an immense stream of charged particles emanating from the sun’s outermost atmosphere.
NASA warns of ‘internet apocalypse’ that could disable the internet.
The PSP, despite having to battle these harsh conditions including intense radiation, was successful in its mission to gather vital information about the sun’s workings.
The mission was launched with the aim of helping to better understand how the sun releases energy, and in turn, learn more about its solar storms.
These storms are a very real threat to Earth’s communication networks.
Such an event could potentially result in the loss of internet access for months or even years due to the incapacitation of satellites and power lines.
In related events, NASA also recently announced the introduction of new artificial intelligence software which will allow the agency to help predict extreme weather events such as solar storms.
A 2021 study conducted by the University of California found that there is up to a 12 per cent chance that a “catastrophic” months-long internet disruption could occur within the next ten years.
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