NASA, NOAA to Launch Joint Mission to Monitor Solar Storms

NASA, NOAA to Launch Joint Mission to Monitor Solar Storms
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NASA and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) launched a joint mission on Wednesday aimed at protecting Earth from the disruptive effects of solar storms, according to Anadolu Agency.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will lift off from Kennedy Space Center carrying three spacecraft to study solar activity and its impact on technology and infrastructure. The mission includes NOAA’s SWFO-L1, its first dedicated space-weather observatory; NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, focused on Earth’s outer atmosphere; and the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), which will study solar particles and the boundary of the heliosphere.

The satellites will orbit near the L1 point, about one million miles from Earth, providing real-time solar monitoring. NASA science chief Nicky Fox said understanding the sun is critical for astronaut safety, GPS accuracy, and power grids, comparing solar-storm tracking to hurricane forecasting.