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The article presents information on a research regarding solar activity in the United States. It reflects that the space weather forecasters see that in 2008 onwards the sunspots, solar flares and coronal mass ejections should increase 30-50% over the most recent solar cycle with the potential for corresponding disruptions in space and terrestrial systems. This mass ejection include both communications and navigation satellites and power grids and ground-based communications networks. The prediction is based on new models of solar activity produced by a research group in the U.S.

The article reports on the return of Europe's Ulysses spacecraft over the Sun's south polar area. The spacecraft continues tracking sunspots and other cyclical solar activity. From its highly inclined orbit, Ulysses has twice before orbited over the Sun's polar areas, first during a lull in sunspot activity and then during a period of frequent sunspots.