A SpaceX Falcon 9 is set to launch three heliophysics missions that aim to strengthen global space weather monitoring and research. NASA is targeting liftoff at 7:30 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, with live coverage beginning at 6:40 a.m. EDT on NASA’s digital platforms. The flight will deploy NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory (GLIDE), and NOAA’s Space Weather Follow-On – Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1). Full mission details are available via the official announcement on NASA Science.
What’s Launching
The three-spacecraft payload brings complementary capabilities that span basic heliophysics research and operational space weather vigilance:
- IMAP (NASA): Equipped with 10 science instruments, IMAP will study and map the heliosphere—the vast magnetic bubble surrounding the Sun that shields the solar system from interstellar radiation. The mission will analyze the composition and transport of charged particles and investigate how the Sun accelerates those particles. IMAP will also continuously monitor solar wind and cosmic radiation to improve situational awareness of the near-Earth space environment.
- GLIDE (NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory): GLIDE will observe Earth’s geocorona—the tenuous outer reaches of the upper atmosphere where it interacts with solar radiation—to refine understanding of the Sun–Earth connection and the variability of the near-Earth environment.
- SWFO-L1 (NOAA): NOAA’s operational satellite is designed to support space weather monitoring from the Sun–Earth Lagrange 1 point, providing continuous, upstream observations that contribute to forecasting and alerts.
Why It Matters
Improved measurement and modeling of the heliosphere and the solar wind are central to protecting technology and operations that depend on space-based infrastructure. The IMAP mission’s particle and field observations, combined with GLIDE’s geocorona imaging and SWFO-L1’s operational vantage point, are expected to enhance understanding of solar activity and its impacts across the Earth–Sun system.
Data from these missions can inform early warnings of solar disturbances and help organizations evaluate risk, plan mitigation, and harden assets against adverse conditions.
- Human spaceflight: Monitoring radiation and charged particle environments supports crew safety.
- Satellites: Improved forecasts aid anomaly mitigation, mission planning, and asset protection.
- Power grids: Earlier alerts of geomagnetic disturbances can reduce the likelihood of transformer damage and service disruptions.
Launch and Coverage
NASA reports that online coverage is underway ahead of the targeted 7:30 a.m. EDT liftoff from Kennedy’s LC-39A. Live launch programming begins at 6:40 a.m. EDT on NASA+, the agency’s website, and its official YouTube channel. Spanish-language coverage will also begin at 6:40 a.m. EDT on NASA+ and the agency’s Spanish-language YouTube channel. For updated timelines and mission resources, see the NASA Science mission blog.
Outlook for the Space Industry
The combined launch underscores growing demand for multi-mission deployments that pair foundational science with operational monitoring. For satellite operators, launch providers, mission planners, and power utilities, the resulting data stream—ranging from heliospheric mapping to real-time solar wind measurements—can support more resilient architectures and more accurate risk modeling for space weather events.
