NASA and NOAA launch three missions to study the Sun and protect against space weather

Questions and answers: 

What missions were launched and why are they important? NASA launched the IMAP and Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and NOAA launched SWFO-L1. Together, they will study solar wind, Earth’s outer atmosphere, and monitor space weather to improve forecasting and protection of technology.

What technology is onboard these spacecraft? IMAP carries 10 instruments to measure solar particles and energetic atoms. Carruthers has ultraviolet cameras to study Earth’s exosphere. SWFO-L1 includes particle sensors, a magnetometer, and coronagraphs to provide continuous space weather monitoring.

Where are these spacecraft going? All three missions are headed to Lagrange point 1, about 1 million miles from Earth, where they will have a stable view of the Sun.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) launched three missions on 24 September to study the Sun’s influence across the solar system and improve protection against space weather hazards.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center carrying NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and NOAA’s Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) spacecraft.

Solar observation

Each mission will examine a different aspect of the Sun’s activity and its impact on Earth. NASA’s IMAP will study the boundary of the heliosphere, the solar wind’s protective bubble against cosmic rays, using 10 scientific instruments. These include particle detectors to measure solar wind ions and electrons, as well as imagers to map energetic neutral atoms from the edge of the solar system.

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The Carruthers Geocorona Observatory will be the first mission dedicated to imaging the geocorona, the ultraviolet glow from Earth’s exosphere. The spacecraft carries two ultraviolet cameras capable of detecting changes in the geocorona during solar storms. Data from Carruthers will provide a new understanding of how Earth’s upper atmosphere interacts with solar radiation.

NOAA’s SWFO-L1 is designed as the first continuous operational space weather observatory. Its instruments include a magnetometer to monitor solar magnetic fields, particle sensors to measure solar wind and high-energy proton flux, and coronagraphs to track coronal mass ejections. By operating at Lagrange point 1, the spacecraft can provide advance warnings of solar storms before they reach Earth.

IMAP is led by David McComas of Princeton University in New Jersey with 27 partner institutions. The spacecraft was built by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. The Carruthers mission is led by Lara Waldrop of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with spacecraft development by BAE Systems in Broomfield, Colo. SWFO-L1 is managed by NOAA with support from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and commercial partners.