Astra, NSF partner on space weather, electric grid program

LOUISVILLE — Astra LLC, a Louisville small satellite and space analytics firm, is working with the National Science Foundation to develop the Convergence Hub for the Exploration of Space Science, or CHESS, to enhance the Earth’s electrical grid’s resilience to space weather forces. 

“CHESS connects these communities, providing information to support utility managers’ decision making, and enabling space weather researchers to better explore space weather events triggering of power outages,” according to an Astra news release. “In collaboration with the Electric Power Research Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of California Los Angeles and a broad community of stakeholders, ASTRA has designed and developed the CHESS platform and will start to implement technology and knowledge sharing with various power utilities across North America.”

According to Astra principle data scientist Ryan McGranaghan, “CHESS is like Google Maps with predictive intelligence for the power grid, putting the power of awareness and prediction into the hands of those who need to keep the lights on for society.”

Lucas High

A Maryland native, Lucas has worked at news agencies from Wyoming to South Carolina before putting roots down in Colorado.