NASA & NOAA Launch Solar Storm Warning Probes

NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will launch three pioneering spacecraft—NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and NOAA’s Space Weather Follow-On Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1)—aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Positioned at the Sun-Earth L1 point, approximately one million miles from Earth, these missions will study the solar wind and space weather, from their origins at the Sun to the heliosphere’s outer boundaries. Their data will enhance our understanding of the Sun’s influence on Earth’s habitability and provide critical early warnings for solar storms that could disrupt satellites, power grids, and aviation systems.

NASA’s IMAP, led by Princeton University’s David McComas and built by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, will act as a “celestial cartographer,” mapping the heliosphere—the magnetic bubble created by the Sun’s solar wind that shields our solar system from galactic cosmic rays. By analyzing particles streaming from interstellar space, IMAP will deepen insights into the heliosphere’s protective role and its interactions with the interstellar medium, advancing knowledge of what makes our solar system habitable.

The Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, a compact telescope named after Dr. George Carruthers, will study Earth’s exosphere by capturing ultraviolet light, revealing how solar activity affects its density and shape, which impacts satellite and communication systems.

NOAA’s SWFO-L1, the agency’s first dedicated space weather satellite, will provide continuous monitoring from L1, imaging the Sun’s corona and sampling solar wind to detect coronal mass ejections hours before they reach Earth. This real-time data will enable forecasters to issue timely warnings to utilities, airlines, and satellite operators, mitigating risks to critical infrastructure.

With live broadcast coverage planned on NASA+ and other platforms from 6:40 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. EDT, the launch marks a significant step in safeguarding technology and astronauts from space weather threats while unlocking new insights into our cosmic environment.

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