NASA and NOAA Set to Launch Solar Probes for Space Weather Forecasting

NASA and NOAA will soon launch three spacecraft (targeted for September 2025) to monitor the Sun's influence. NASA's IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe), the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and NOAA's SWFO-L1 will ride a SpaceX Falcon 9 to the Sun–Earth L1 point, about a million miles from Earth. Once at L1, the trio will observe the solar wind and space weather from the Sun to the outer heliosphere. Their data will help map our solar “bubble” and give early warning of solar storms that could disrupt satellites, power grids and airline flights..

Charting the Heliosphere and Earth's Exosphere

According to NASA, as a contemporary "celestial cartographer," IMAP spacecraft will investigate the outer boundary of the heliosphere, a massive bubble inflated by the Sun's solar wind. IMAP will advance our knowledge of the reasons our solar system is habitable by mapping the interactions between this bubble and interstellar space, as well as how it protects us from galactic cosmic rays.

The small telescope, the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, will accompany the journey and record ultraviolet light from the exosphere, Earth's outermost atmosphere. From its position at L1, Carruthers will observe how the Sun affects the exosphere's density, size, and shape, assisting scientists in forecasting how solar storms will affect communications, power, and satellite systems.

NOAA's Space Weather Sentinel

Unlike NASA's science probes, NOAA's SWFO-L1 is an operational satellite dedicated to 24/7 space-weather monitoring. From its perch at L1, it will continuously image the Sun's corona and sample the solar wind to spot eruptions (like coronal mass ejections) well before they reach Earth.

By streaming data in real time to forecasters, SWFO-L1 will give utilities, airlines, satellite operators and astronaut teams extra warning of incoming solar storms that could disrupt power grids, communication networks and satellites