Space weather satellites launched to study solar storms
On Sept. 24, 2025, NASA and NOAA launched a cluster of space‑weather satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center, including NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) and the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, plus a NOAA space‑weather observatory. The roughly $1.6 billion U.S. program aims to position instruments near a sun‑orbiting lookout about 1 million miles from Earth to improve forecasts of solar storms that can disrupt communications and threaten astronauts, with NASA missions expected operational by early 2026 and NOAA’s craft by spring.
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Space weather satellites blast off to collect information on solar storms
New information:
- Launch date and site: Sept. 24, 2025, from Kennedy Space Center (Pad 39A) on a SpaceX Falcon 9
- Program cost and funding: total ~ $1.6 billion — NASA contributing about $879 million and NOAA about $693 million
- Operational details and impact: IMAP will carry 10 instruments, operate near 1 million miles from Earth, and can provide roughly a 30‑minute early warning of solar storms useful for Artemis lunar missions