Overview
- Researchers report electron density jumps of about 45% near 110 km altitude and 278% near 130 km, the largest response yet observed in Mars’s ionosphere.
- The May 2024 storm delivered a radiation dose at Mars orbit equivalent to roughly 200 normal days in just 64 hours, as recorded by TGO’s monitor.
- Mars Express and the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter experienced transient computer errors during the event but quickly recovered thanks to radiation-hardened design and error-correction systems.
- ESA scientists captured the response using a Mars Express–to–TGO radio occultation taken minutes after a major flare, with NASA’s MAVEN observations confirming the electron densities.
- The findings indicate that storm-driven electron-rich layers can disrupt radar and radio signals, a factor now emphasized for mission planning and space-weather mitigation at Mars.