Home
Science
Science News
IMAP Space Weather Mission to Lift Off Soon, NASA Confirms Broadcast Plans

IMAP Space Weather Mission to Lift Off Soon, NASA Confirms Broadcast Plans

NASA will stream IMAP’s Sept. 23 launch to study space weather and solar system boundaries.

Written by Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 18 September 2025 21:55 IST

IMAP Space Weather Mission to Lift Off Soon, NASA Confirms Broadcast Plans

Photo Credit: NASA

NASA’s IMAP mission and two rideshares will launch Sept. 23 to study space weather

Click Here to Add Gadgets360 As A Trusted Source

Highlights

NASA to stream Sept. 23 IMAP mission launch aboard SpaceX
IMAP to study solar wind and heliosphere science at Lagrange Point 1
Carruthers to capture ultraviolet glow from Earth’s outermost exosphere

The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission, which will provide a new look at the dynamics of solar wind near the boundary areas of our solar system, is slated to have live coverage on NASA TV starting Feb. 9, 2022. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which will be carrying Dragon into orbit, is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A of Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at a few seconds after 6:00 p.m. EDT Sunday, September 21. The rocket will lift off at 7:32 am EDT, Tuesday, September 23, 2025. Footage will be available from 6:40 a.m. on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and other platforms – meaning the historic scientific milestone can be watched by an international audience.

IMAP, Carruthers, and SWFO-L1 Set to Probe Space Weather and Protect Earth

According to a NASA release, IMAP will journey nearly one million miles out to Lagrange Point 1, where it will study how the Sun's energy and particles influence the heliosphere. IMAP is part of NASA's Carruthers Geocorona Observatory and also NOAA's Space Weather Follow-On-Lagrange 1; both will investigate the effects of cosmic radiation on robot and human explorers.

Measuring Earth's Outer Atmosphere Ultraviolet Light The Carruthers Geocorona Observatory will observe Earth's outer atmosphere ultraviolet light, relying on the Apollo 16 observations to provide information about the Earth at the time and its response to space weather.

NASA’s X-59 Quiet Supersonic Jet Prepares for First Flight

“NOAA's SWFO-L1 mission, located at Lagrange Point 1, is a specialised space weather observing and nowcasting mission that supplies the observational resources to satellite, communication, and power grid operators.

IMAP, Carruthers, and SWFO-L1 combine for a concerted effort to advance scientific understanding of space weather while providing increased protection for Earth's infrastructure.

Comments

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.