On September 24th, 2025, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched a trio of groundbreaking probes into space, embarking on a mission to unravel the mysteries of space weather and map the boundaries of our solar system. This ambitious undertaking comprises NASA's Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory (CGO), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Follow-on (SWFO-L1) spacecraft.
The primary focus, IMAP, a roughly $600 million mission, carries ten sophisticated scientific instruments. Its objective is to monitor solar activity, analyze interstellar dust, and study the solar wind – the continuous stream of charged particles emanating from our sun. This data is crucial for creating a detailed map of the heliosphere, the vast protective bubble surrounding our solar system, defined by the sun's magnetic field and solar wind. Furthermore, IMAP will provide invaluable radiation warnings for future astronauts venturing to the Moon and beyond, particularly those involved in NASA's Artemis program.
Complementing IMAP, CGO will investigate Earth's exosphere, the outermost layer of our atmosphere. Using advanced imaging techniques, it will analyze the geocorona's ultraviolet glow, offering critical insights into how space weather interacts with our planet. This mission builds upon the legacy of the Apollo era, expanding on observations made during the Apollo 16 mission.
Meanwhile, SWFO-L1 will serve as an early warning system for space weather events. By tracking solar storms, it will help protect satellites, orbiting astronauts, and even ground-based infrastructure like power grids from the potentially damaging effects of these solar phenomena.
All three probes are headed to the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1, a gravitationally stable location approximately 930,000 miles from Earth, in the direction of the sun. The Falcon 9 rocket successfully deployed IMAP approximately 84 minutes after launch, followed by SWFO-L1 and CGO shortly thereafter. The Falcon 9's first stage also executed a successful landing on the SpaceX droneship 'Just Read the Instructions'. This launch marked the 120th Falcon 9 flight of 2025, highlighting the increasing pace of space exploration and technological advancement.
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Originally published at: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-launches-3-probes-to-study-space-weather-and-map-the-boundaries-of-our-solar-system
