Info from the workshop on “Possible new collaboration: Grand Challenge Initiative CUSP “Solar Max””

Yesterday evening, in Chicago during AGU Fall Meeting, we had a successful workshop on the proposed GCI CUSP follow-up project “GCI CUSP 3.0 Solar Max”, and as a short notice to you all before X-mas I can inform you that a solar max version of the highly successful CUSP (solar min) project is both timely and scientifically justified with regards to:

  • new and remaining questions
  • ensure access to scientific infrastructure that could otherwise be made unavailable if there are no future projects that can make use of it
  • new and upcoming ground-based/space based infrastructure

The proposed timeline is first launches around 2025-2026, but this is off course dependent on the missions being funded in the time to come.

Present at the meeting were representatives from NASA Hq, Norwegian Space Agency, Andøya Space, NASA GSFC, NASA WFF, U of New Hampshire, U of Tromsø, Clemson Uni, Dartmouth College, JHU/APL.

We will also work to get more nations into the new GCI CUSP. The former one consisted of USA, Japan and Norway only.

To ensure the necessary progress, we will also use physical meetings in this project, in which case AGU Fall Meeting and CEDAR are two good candidates. If there are more European participants, we can also consider including EGU, but only time will tell.

More info to follow after X-mas.