NASA and NOAA are launching a groundbreaking mission to study space weather and its effects on Earth’s critical infrastructure.
Why it matters: Space weather can disrupt GPS, power grids, and spacecraft, making it crucial to understand and predict solar activity.
The details:
- The mission includes three satellites: SWFO-L1, Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and IMAP.
- SWFO-L1 will serve as an early warning system for potentially disruptive solar storms.
- Carruthers Geocorona Observatory will study Earth’s uppermost atmospheric layer.
- IMAP will measure solar activity and map the heliospheric boundary, a protective bubble created by the sun.
The satellites will operate from the L1 point, approximately one million miles toward the sun from Earth, providing an unobstructed view of the sun 24/7.
What they’re saying:
- “It’s extremely urgent for us to actually understand what our sun is doing for us,” said NASA’s head of science, Nicky Fox.
- “It’s very important for us to understand what’s coming from the sun and how it’s impacting our planet,” Fox added.
- “All three satellites together, we’re kind of looking at every single ingredient in how the sun influences not only Earth but the whole solar system,” Fox explained.
The mission also connects to NASA’s broader research interests in understanding habitable planets in other solar systems.
What’s next: The launch, originally scheduled for Sept. 23, is now targeted for Sept. 24 at 7:30 a.m. EDT from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The delay allows more time for recovery assets to arrive at the landing zone.
Recent from X
LIVE: Hear from scientists how three new missions, set to launch Tuesday, Sept. 23, will study space weather. Share your questions for our experts with the #AskNASA hashtag. https://t.co/ye292kZFRH
— NASA (@NASA) September 21, 2025
LIVE: Tune in for the latest updates from NASA, @NOAA, @SpaceX, and others about the launch of three new missions to study space weather and solar storms. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 23. https://t.co/PiRUQbUp1d
— NASA (@NASA) September 21, 2025
🚀LAUNCH UPDATE:
NASA and SpaceX are now targeting 7:30 a.m. EDT, Wednesday Sept. 24 for the launch of IMAP, SWFO-L1, and Carruthers to allow more time for recovery assets to arrive at the landing zone. All three spacecraft and the rocket remain healthy.https://t.co/o1RqgGg29T pic.twitter.com/VdNLuQnxIg
— NASA's Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) September 22, 2025
🚀 IMAP, SWFO-L1, & Carruthers are GO for the launch countdown!
NASA, SpaceX, and the spacecraft missions teams conducted the Launch Readiness Review and have given the GO for launch. Liftoff of the @SpaceX Falcon 9 is targeted for 7:32 a.m. EDT Tuesday, Sept. 23, from Launch… pic.twitter.com/nlpinfXeXB
— NASA's Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) September 21, 2025
