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

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.

“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.