When space weather forecasters say conditions are 'elevated', KP is usually what they're measuring. Understanding what it actually represents — and what it doesn't — makes every other space weather metric more interpretable.
When space weather forecasters say conditions are 'elevated', KP is usually what they're measuring. Understanding what it actually represents — and what it doesn't — makes every other space weather metric more interpretable.
KP is a global index derived from ~13 ground-based magnetometer stations at mid-latitudes worldwide.
The G-scale (G1–G5) maps directly onto KP: G1 = KP5, G2 = KP6, G3 = KP7, G4 = KP8, G5 = KP9. G5 events (KP9) are rare — the last major one was the Carrington-class event of 1859, and more recently a KP9 in May 2024.
Geomagnetic activity deposits energy into the upper atmosphere, causing it to expand outward — directly increasing drag on LEO satellites.
KP data comes in two fundamentally different flavours — and confusing them leads to operational errors.
In Orbital Radar, KP is surfaced as a quick operational context indicator. Treat elevated KP as a prompt to scrutinise time-sensitive predictions, use fresher TLEs, and be alert to altered conjunction geometries for objects in the most drag-sensitive altitude bands.