{"id":284983,"date":"2025-09-16T07:29:53","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T21:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?guid=8a4d2bba666e9601a703803d811aaea2"},"modified":"2025-09-16T07:29:53","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T21:29:53","slug":"nasa-sets-launch-coverage-for-space-weather-missions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=284983","title":{"rendered":"NASA Sets Launch Coverage for Space Weather Missions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From left to right, NASA\u2019s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s (NOAA) Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) missions will map our Sun\u2019s influence across the solar system in new ways. <\/div>\n
Credit: NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for an observatory designed to study space weather and explore and map the boundaries of our solar neighborhood.<\/p>\n

Launching with IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) are two rideshare missions, NASA\u2019s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1), both of which will provide insight into space weather and its impacts at Earth and across the solar system.<\/p>\n

Liftoff of the missions on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is targeted for 7:32 a.m. EDT, Tuesday, Sept. 23, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Watch coverage beginning at 6:40 a.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and more. Learn how to watch NASA content<\/a> through a variety of platforms, including social media.<\/p>\n

The IMAP<\/a> spacecraft will study how the Sun\u2019s energy and particles interact with the heliosphere \u2014 an enormous protective bubble of space around our solar system \u2014 to enhance our understanding of space weather, cosmic radiation, and their impacts on Earth and human and robotic space explorers. The spacecraft and its two rideshares will orbit approximately one million miles from Earth, positioned toward the Sun at a location known as Lagrange Point 1.<\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory<\/a> is a small satellite that will observe Earth\u2019s outermost atmospheric layer, the exosphere. It will image the faint glow of ultraviolet light from this region, called the geocorona, to better understand how space weather impacts our planet. The Carruthers mission continues the legacy of the Apollo era, expanding on measurements first taken during Apollo 16<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The SWFO-L1<\/a> spacecraft will monitor space weather and detect solar storms in advance, serving as an early warning beacon for potentially disruptive space weather, helping safeguard Earth\u2019s critical infrastructure and technological-dependent industries. The SWFO-L1 spacecraft is the first NOAA observatory designed specifically for and fully dedicated to continuous, operational space weather observations.<\/p>\n

Media accreditation for in-person coverage of this launch has passed. NASA\u2019s media credentialing policy<\/a> is available online. For questions about media accreditation, please email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s mission coverage is as follows <\/a>(all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):<\/p>\n

Sunday, Sept. 21<\/strong><\/p>\n

2:30 p.m. \u2013 NASA Prelaunch News Conference on New Space Weather Missions<\/p>\n