StormWall: a six-satellite plasma shield could blunt big solar storms

A Boston University team led by Brian Walsh proposes StormWall, a six-satellite fleet in geosynchronous orbit that would release mass-loading materials (e.g., barium, lithium, sodium, calcium) which ionize into a plasma cloud at the sun-facing edge of Earth’s magnetosphere. The artificial plasma would thicken the magnetopause, disrupting magnetic reconnection and potentially reducing a major geomagnetic storm’s intensity by more than 50%. The idea targets protecting satellites, communications, GPS, and electrical grids. It would be a one-and-done deployment (no replenishment) and would be costly, but private space activity could tip the economics in its favor. The concept was tested via simulations of the May 2024 “Mother’s Day” storm and details were published in Space Weather (June 2).