KENYA SPACE AGENCY CAPACITY BUILDING INITIATIVES IN SPACE WEATHER AND IONOSPHERIC RESEARCH  

Space weather monitoring is critical for protecting modern technology and infrastructure exposed to its impacts, especially in Africa. Space weather events are caused by phenomena such as Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), Geomagnetic Storms, Equatorial Plasma Bubbles, Equatorial Electrojets, and Travelling Ionospheric Disturbances (TIDs). Low latitude regions, including Kenya, have considerable ionospheric instabilities enhanced by the effect of the geomagnetic equator passing in these regions. These disturbances can have major consequences on GNSS-enabled systems, including signal loss, positioning inaccuracies, and communication failures. Recognising this challenge, the Kenya Space Agency (KSA) is at the forefront of space weather monitoring and forecasting, providing the country and global scientific community with equipment and date to help mitigate these risks.

Space weather poses risks beyond technological inconveniences, potentially disrupting key infrastructure such as communication networks, power grids, and aviation operations. In extreme cases, space weather events may result in economic losses, endanger public safety, and impede emergency response operations. Initiatives spearheaded by the Agency, such as the installation of advanced monitoring instruments and capacity-building workshops, are critical to the early detection and mitigation of negative impacts of space weather events. KSA ensures that stakeholders have the equipment and knowledge needed to establish resilience, limit disruptions, and protect national infrastructure by nurturing local expertise and delivering real-time forecasting.

As part of its efforts, KSA recently participated in the African Capacity Building Workshop on Space Weather and Ionospheric Research, held from 22 to 31 October 2024, at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Italy. The workshop brought together students, young professionals, lecturers, and scientists from across Africa to enhance their expertise in GNSS and high-frequency (HF) technology for space weather monitoring. Through lectures and hands-on sessions, participants explored Sun-Earth interactions, GNSS signal propagation, ionospheric monitoring, data analysis, and the prediction and forecasting of space weather phenomena. Experts also demonstrated low-cost instruments for space weather monitoring, a critical step toward making this field more accessible across the continent.

Kenya's contributions to space weather monitoring are significant in the scientific community. KSA has installed a network of GNSS receivers, magnetometers, and an ionosonde in Malindi one of the few operational ionosondes in Africa. Scientists use data from these instruments to improve monitoring and forecasting capabilities across the continent. The Agency is also working towards establishing an operational space weather centre to issue alerts and advisories to stakeholders, strengthening regional resilience to space weather events.

Capacity building remains key to KSA's objective of developing national space capabilities in space science, technology and applications. In 2024, the Agency has been involved in capacity building workshops aimed at fostering local expertise and promoting worldwide collaboration, which are essential for advancing space weather research.

The Agency is currently working on novel projects such as HF communication frequencies and timings and using machine learning to forecast. These activities are aimed at improving the reliability of Kenya's GNSS and HF-dependent systems. In addition, the team is creating user-friendly, low-cost space weather monitoring equipment and launching an improved space weather component on the KSA website. This portal will provide instructional tools, real-time data, and tailored analysis to empower stakeholders and the general public.

As space weather increasingly impacts technological systems worldwide, KSA's commitment to monitoring, forecasting, and capacity building strengthens the regions resilience to these challenges. This ensures that space weather risks are better understood and managed.

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