The Nov. 11–12 solar event produced an X5.1-class flare and several CMEs that triggered a G4 (severe) geomagnetic storm and briefly disrupted high-frequency radio. Russian cosmonauts Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky slept in the ISS laboratory module as a radiation precaution while the USOS crew remained in their regular quarters. The storm created vivid auroras visible far south, prompted a delay to a planned New Glenn Mars launch, and led to 21 FAA flight cancellations. NASA and NOAA's SWPC are still collecting impact reports.
Russian Cosmonauts Sleep in ISS Lab During Severe Nov. 11–12 Solar Storm as Auroras and Disruptions Follow
The Nov. 11–12 solar event produced an X5.1-class flare and several CMEs that triggered a G4 (severe) geomagnetic storm and briefly disrupted high-frequency radio. Russian cosmonauts Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky slept in the ISS laboratory module as a radiation precaution while the USOS crew remained in their regular quarters. The storm created vivid auroras visible far south, prompted a delay to a planned New Glenn Mars launch, and led to 21 FAA flight cancellations. NASA and NOAA's SWPC are still collecting impact reports.
05:49 AM, 11/18/2025Science
Cosmonauts take shelter aboard ISS during powerful geomagnetic storm
A powerful geomagnetic storm that created vivid auroras across the Northern Hemisphere on Nov. 11–12 also prompted safety precautions aboard the International Space Station (ISS), NASA and NOAA confirmed.
According to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), the Sun produced an X5.1-class flare on Nov. 11 — one of the most intense flare categories — which briefly disrupted high-frequency radio communications. That flare was followed by multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs); two of those CMEs struck Earth during the Nov. 11–12 interval and helped trigger a G4 (severe) geomagnetic storm.
Because strong solar events raise radiation levels in low Earth orbit, Russian cosmonauts Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky temporarily relocated their sleeping arrangements to the station's laboratory module as a precaution, NASA said. The United States Orbital Segment (USOS) crew remained in their regular crew quarters and continued day-to-day operations and science work.
"Operations and science continued as normal on the space station," said Sandra Jones, NASA public affairs officer at Johnson Space Center. "The USOS crew slept in their crew quarters, and the Roscosmos cosmonauts camped out in the lab as a preventative measure due to the solar storm."
The geomagnetic storm produced spectacular auroral displays visible as far south as the southeastern United States and across parts of Europe. While visually striking, space weather of this magnitude can also have significant impacts on Earth, including power-grid fluctuations, satellite and GPS disruptions, and radio blackouts.
SWPC officials said they are still collecting reports from utilities, aviation, satellite operators and other sectors about the storm's effects. The event prompted a delay to the planned launch of twin Mars spacecraft aboard Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket from Florida, and the Federal Aviation Administration reported 21 flight cancellations related to the solar radiation event.
Despite the precautions, ISS crew members had front-row views of the auroras from orbit. With normal operations resumed and recent U.S. government issues resolved, NASA astronauts Johnny Kim, Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman began sharing striking images of the glowing auroral curtains from the station.