🚀 Space Pulse · 2026-07-12 22:00 UTC
SPACE PULSE
Sunday, July 13, 2026 — Edition for 2026-07-12 22:00 UTC
⚡ TL;DR
Today's dominant story is an active geomagnetic disturbance reaching G1 Minor storm level, backed by elevated high-energy electron flux and solar radio burst activity persisting across the full UTC day. It is a quiet day for launches and discoveries, with one notable upcoming SpaceX mission on the books for later this month.
🚀 LAUNCHES
UPCOMING — FALCON 9 / MRV-1 (SpaceLogistics)
- SpaceX's Falcon 9 Block 5 is scheduled to carry SpaceLogistics' MRV-1 no earlier than July 31, 2026; exact window is still To Be Determined. [1]
- The payload includes the Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) itself plus multiple Mission Extension Pods (MEPs) designed to extend the operational life of in-orbit satellites. [1]
☀️ SPACE WEATHER
OVERVIEW — ACTIVE CONDITIONS TODAY
- NOAA SWPC issued a G1 Minor geomagnetic storm alert at 15:03 UTC today after the K-index hit 5 during the 1200–1500 UTC synoptic period; the active warning was confirmed live at 14:59 UTC. [2]
- A companion K-index 5 warning had already been issued at 14:11 UTC, valid from 14:10 UTC July 12 through 21:00 UTC July 13, indicating the disturbance is expected to persist into tomorrow. [3]
- Earlier in the day, a K-index 4 alert was posted at 03:46 UTC after the threshold was crossed at 02:59 UTC, showing the unsettled conditions were building throughout the day. [4]
- A separate K-index 4 warning was issued at 01:34 UTC forecasting active geomagnetic conditions from 01:35 UTC through end of day July 12. [5]
HIGH-ENERGY ELECTRONS
- NOAA issued a continued alert at 05:32 UTC confirming the 2 MeV integral electron flux has remained above 1,000 pfu since July 10 at 11:26 UTC; yesterday's peak reached 4,620 pfu, well above threshold. [6]
- Elevated relativistic electron flux at these levels poses a radiation risk to satellites in high-Earth and geosynchronous orbits and can cause deep-dielectric charging in spacecraft hardware. [6]
SOLAR RADIO BURSTS
- A Type II solar radio emission was detected beginning at 01:35 UTC, with the associated CME shock front estimated at a propagation velocity of 678 km/s. [7]
- A Type IV radio emission — indicative of an energetic ongoing solar event with a sustained radio continuum — began at 00:53 UTC and was alerted at 02:12 UTC. [8]
- The combination of Type II and Type IV bursts points to a significant eruption earlier in the UTC day as the likely driver of today's geomagnetic disturbance. [7] [8]
WHAT THIS MEANS
- G1 Minor storms can cause minor fluctuations in power grids, minor satellite orientation effects, and aurora visible at high latitudes (typically above 60 degrees geomagnetic latitude). [2] [3]
- The G1 watch extending to 21:00 UTC July 13 means operators should remain alert through at least tomorrow evening. [3]
No Discoveries, Missions, or Research items are available in today's data feed from the listed official sources. Those sections will return when qualifying items are received from NASA, ESA, JAXA, ESO, NRAO, or arXiv astro-ph.
SPACE PULSE is grounded in official sources only: NOAA SWPC, Launch Library 2, space agency releases, major observatories, and arXiv astro-ph. Forward to a friend who watches the sky.
📎 Sources
- Falcon 9 Block 5 | MRV-1 — Launch Library 2
- Space Weather Message Code: ALTK05 — NOAA SWPC Alerts
- Space Weather Message Code: WARK05 — NOAA SWPC Alerts
- Space Weather Message Code: ALTK04 — NOAA SWPC Alerts
- Space Weather Message Code: WARK04 — NOAA SWPC Alerts
- Space Weather Message Code: ALTEF3 — NOAA SWPC Alerts
- Space Weather Message Code: ALTTP2 — NOAA SWPC Alerts
- Space Weather Message Code: ALTTP4 — NOAA SWPC Alerts
Curated from official sources — NASA/ESA/JAXA/ESO/NOAA/arXiv/Launch Library. Informational only.
Serial 20260712-22-v25 · 2026-07-12 22:00 UTC · pulse.uzylab.com