A Rolling Programme in Space and Planetary Physics

The Sun constantly fires a stream of charged particles—plasma—at Earth, and this programme will build instruments to measure exactly what happens when that plasma arrives. Understanding how plasma behaves in space matters because it directly affects technologies people rely on every day. Energetic particles from the Sun can knock out satellites, disrupt radio communications, damage power grids, and pose radiation risks to astronauts and airline passengers. Yet the fundamental physics of how these particles accelerate and travel through the solar system remains poorly understood. This programme tackles that gap by studying plasma processes in three linked areas: the Sun’s influence on Earth, the origins of energetic particles reaching our planet, and how the Sun affects other bodies in the solar system—including their atmospheres and nearby plasma environments. The third area involves designing and building the actual space instruments that make these measurements possible. If successful, the programme will improve forecasts of space weather events that threaten infrastructure, and deepen understanding of fundamental plasma physics that applies to both laboratory experiments and distant astrophysical objects. This is primarily curiosity-driven fundamental science, but better space weather prediction has direct practical value for satellite operators, power companies, and aviation authorities.