top of page
Thunderstorm

Track lightning and sprites from

ground and space

ILAN-ES Patch.png

Global observations of thunderstorms, lightning and TLEs (Transient Luminous Events) correlated with international ground campaigns.

About our mission

500

Students

15

Schools that take part

10

Days in space

1

Astronaut in ISS

The launch to space begins...

About our reaserch

ILAN-ES aims to study electrical phenomena above thunderstorms, known as Transient Luminous Events: blue jets propagating from cloud tops to the stratosphere (~40 km), gigantic jets from clouds to the ionosphere (~ 90 km), and ELVES and red sprites initiated above tropospheric thunderstorms inside the mesosphere (50-90 km). Observations will enhance our understanding of the coupling processes between the lower and upper atmosphere. Space imaging will be augmented by a global ground-based campaign, with lightning location networks in different spectral ranges (ELF, VLF) as well as optical cameras operated by international research groups and a network of schools and amateurs. Daily operations will rely on forecasts of thunderstorm targets that will be relayed to the astronaut on-board the ISS, in a similar manner to the MEIDEX that was conducted on-board space-shuttle Columbia in 2003 by the late Col. Ilan Ramon.

light
thunderstorm

Project steps

global-network

Worldwide lightning location systems

chart

Weather prediction of thunder
storms

flip

Simultaneous observations from ground and space

analyzing

Data acquisition and analysis

newspaper-folded

Publication of results to the public and science community

spaceship
camera

A global network of ground observers

ISS

But, Why Is It Important?

Lightning and sprites affect the chemical composition of the atmosphere and generate NOx, which is Greenhouse Gases.

Thunderstorms are also sensitive to temperature and respond strongly to climate change

School project

10 Schools in Israel and 5 schools in Africa will conduct

nocturnal observations of lightning and sprites above them

The students will aim the cameras to the sky and hunt TLEs.

Simultaneous observations with the astronaut on the ISS

will enable obtaining the first 3D image of sprites.

Who We Are

- Prof. Yoav Yair

- Prof. Colin Price

- Dr. Roy Yaniv

- Mrs. Tali Livne

- Students from the school of sustainability at Reichman University
 

Our Team (Soon)
spacex-

LATEST NEWS.

axiom-space-logo-
logo.
FoundRamon-Logo-
ReichmanUniversit
TAU

Partners.

Contact Us
bottom of page