Space weather experts at the University of Surrey are urging regulators and space tourism innovators to work together to protect their passengers and crews from the risks of space weather radiation exposure.

The Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field protect people on the ground from exposure to unpredictable surges of electrically charged particles coming from the sun. However, there can be dramatic increases in potential radiation exposure at higher altitudes, such as those envisaged for space tourist flights.

Space weather cannot yet be predicted and can lead to health risks such as damage to DNA, and it could lead to cancer. Despite this, space tourists currently receive little information and few warnings.

Chris Rees, lead author of a new paper on radiation risks to space tourism and a postgraduate researcher at Surrey Space Center, said, "Although space tourism is very niche, it will quickly grow as an industry.

Before the end of this decade, NASA plans to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since the Apollo Era. But this time, through the Artemis Program, it won't be a "footprints and flags" affair.

With other space agencies and commercial partners, the long-term aim is to create the infrastructure that will allow for a "sustained program of lunar exploration and development.