Форум Новости Космонавтики

ЦитироватьNASA отправит миссию для изучения гелиосферы в 2024 году
В Национальном управлении по аэронавтике и изучению космического пространства (NASA) определились с новой научной космической миссией. В 2024 году в космос отправится аппаи IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, «зонд для картирования межзвездного пространства и детектирования ускоренных частиц»). Этот аппарат предназначен для изучения своеобразного «пузыря» - потока солнечного ветра, внутри которого по Галактике перемещается наша Солнечная система.
Миссия будет запущена в точку Лагранжа L1, расположенную между Землей и Солнцем, в полутора миллионах километров от Земли. Стоимость миссии оценивается в 492 миллиона долларов США.
Аппарат будет нести с собой 10 научных инструментов и будет «ловить» те частицы межзвездного ветра, которые пробиваются через пузырь гелиосферы, а также изучать образование в ней космических лучей.
Миссия IMAP станет пятой в так называемой «программе Солнечно-Земных миссий» (Solar Terrestrial Probes Program). Перед ним NASA отправляло в космос аппараты STEREO, которые изучали солнечно-земное взаимодействие, миссию MMS, которая изучала магнитное поле Земли, еще одну «солнечную» миссию Hinode (совместно с японским космическим агентством) и аппарат TIMED, посвященный исследованию самых верхних слоев атмосферы Земли.

ЦитироватьJune 1, 2018
RELEASE 18-046

NASA Selects Mission to Study Solar Wind Boundary of Outer Solar System

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208164.jpg)
This illustration shows the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe observing signals fr om the interaction of the solar wind with the winds of other stars.
Credits: NASA

NASA has sel ected a science mission planned for launch in 2024 that will sample, analyze, and map particles streaming to Earth fr om the edges of interstellar space.

The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission will help researchers better understand the boundary of the heliosphere (https://science.nasa.gov/heliophysics/focus-areas/heliosphere), a sort of magnetic bubble surrounding and protecting our solar system. This region is wh ere the constant flow of particles from our Sun, called the solar wind, collides with material from the rest of the galaxy. This collision limits the amount of harmful cosmic radiation entering the heliosphere. IMAP will collect and analyze particles that make it through.

Спойлер

"This boundary is wh ere our Sun does a great deal to protect us. IMAP is critical to broadening our understanding of how this 'cosmic filter' works," said Dennis Andrucyk, deputy associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "The implications of this research could reach well beyond the consideration of Earthly impacts as we look to send humans into deep space."

Another objective of the mission is to learn more about the generation of cosmic rays in the heliosphere. Cosmic rays created locally and from the galaxy and beyond affect human explorers in space and can harm technological systems, and likely play a role in the presence of life itself in the universe.

The spacecraft will be positioned about one million miles (1.5 million kilometers) away fr om Earth towards the Sun at what is called the first Lagrange point (https://www.nasa.gov/missions/solarsystem/f-lagrange.html) or L1. This will allow the probe to maximize use of its instruments to monitor the interactions between solar wind and the interstellar medium in the outer solar system.

The mission's principal investigator is David McComas of Princeton University. The Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, will provide project management. The mission will carry 10 science instruments provided by international and domestic research organizations and universities.

IMAP was selected following an extensive and competitive peer review of proposals submitted in late 2017. The mission is cost-capped at $492 million, excluding cost for the launch vehicle.

This is the fifth mission in NASA's Solar Terrestrial Probes (STP (https://science.nasa.gov/heliophysics/programs/solar-terrestrial-probes)) Program portfolio. Others include the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), a collaboration with ESA (European Space Agency) that enabled a global view of the Sun and inner heliosphere; the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission currently investigating the fundamental process of magnetic reconnection near Earth; the solar remote sensing mission Hinode, an ongoing collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency; and the Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED), a mission observing the outermost layers of the Earth's atmosphere.

The Heliophysics Program Office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the STP Program for the agency's Heliophysics Division in Washington. NASA's heliophysics missions seek to understand the Sun, and its interaction with the Earth and the solar system out to the interstellar medium, including space weather.

Last Updated: June 2, 2018
Editor: Karen Northon

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ЦитироватьNASA Targets September 2025 Launch for Heliophysics Missions
NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than September 2025 for the launch of the agency's IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) spacecraft. The new date provides additional time for IMAP flight systems preparations prior to launch.
The IMAP mission will study the heliosphere, the Sun's magnetic bubble that shields our solar system, to better understand the protective boundary. To achieve this, IMAP will sample, analyze, and map particles streaming toward Earth from the edges of interstellar space. The mission also will help researchers learn more about the solar wind — the constant stream of particles from the Sun — energetic particles, and cosmic rays in the heliosphere. These particles can affect human explorers in space, harm technological systems, and likely play a role in the presence of life itself in the universe.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/376912.webp) (https://blogs.nasa.gov/imap/wp-content/uploads/sites/308/2024/12/IMAP-illustration.jpg)
^{An artist's depiction of NASA's IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) spacecraft (Credits: NASA/Princeton/Patrick McPike).}
In addition to IMAP, two other spacecraft will launch as rideshare missions:

• NASA's Carruthers Geocorona Observatory will capture light from Earth's geocorona, the part of the outer atmosphere that emits ultraviolet light. Studying this will allow researchers to better understand the atmosphere and improve our ability to predict how solar activity can affect the Earth.
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Follow On – Lagrange 1 mission will observe the Sun's outer atmosphere, or corona, and measure the Sun's constant stream of particles called the solar wind before it reaches Earth, to monitor the conditions that create space weather.

During their missions, all three spacecraft will orbit at Lagrange point 1, which is one of five areas where the gravity from Earth balances out the gravity from the Sun. Spacecraft that orbit at a Lagrange point need less fuel to remain in that position. Lagrange 1, which is about one million miles from Earth towards the Sun, is an excellent place to observe the Sun and provide advanced warning of space weather conditions headed towards Earth.
The IMAP spacecraft and the two rideshares will launch together on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Спойлер

Princeton University professor David J. McComas leads the IMAP mission with an international team of 25 partner institutions. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, builds the spacecraft and operates the mission. NASA's IMAP is the fifth mission in NASA's Solar Terrestrial Probes program portfolio. The Explorers and Heliophysics Project Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the program for the agency's Heliophysics Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
Carruthers Geocorona Observatory is led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor Lara Waldrop. Carruthers Geocorona Observatory is a mission of opportunity in the Solar Terrestrial Probes program. As the Space Weather Follow On – Lagrange 1 mission owner, NOAA provides funds and manages the program, operations, data products, and dissemination to users.
NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, manages the launch service for the missions.

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ЦитироватьNASA's Launch Services Program  @NASA_LSP
What's next for LSP?
[_{font=Times New Roman]With the launch of NASA's SPHEREx and PUNCH missions[/font]}, we turn our focus to our next mission – IMAP along with its two rideshare companions, SWFO-L1 and Carruthers!
Launching together on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Florida NET September 2025.

Цитата: zandr от 02.06.2018 23:56:41https://indicator.ru/news/2018/06/02/missiya-izuchaet-geliosferu/ (https://indicator.ru/news/2018/06/02/missiya-izuchaet-geliosferu/) sprunki mustard (https://sprunkimustard.io/)

ЦитироватьNASA to Send Heliosphere Study Mission in 2024
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has decided on a new scientific space mission. In 2024, the IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) will be launched into space. This device is designed to study a kind of "bubble" - a solar wind flow, inside which our Solar System moves across the Galaxy. The mission will
be launched to the L1 Lagrange point, located between the Earth and the Sun, one and a half million kilometers from the Earth. The cost of the mission is estimated at 492 million US dollars.
The device will carry 10 scientific instruments and will "catch" those particles of the interstellar wind that break through the heliosphere bubble, as well as study the formation of cosmic rays in it.
The IMAP mission will be the fifth in what is known as the Solar Terrestrial Probes Program. Before it, NASA sent into space the STEREO spacecraft, which studied solar-terrestrial interactions; the MMS mission, which studied the Earth's magnetic field; another "solar" mission, Hinode (jointly with the Japanese space agency); and the TIMED spacecraft, dedicated to studying the uppermost layers of the Earth's atmosphere.

Цитата: bandinferior от 04.04.2025 05:47:26Is this the fifth mission in NASA's Terrestrial Solar Probe program?

ЦитироватьThe Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) is a Solar Terrestrial Probes Program mission within NASA's Heliophysics Division.

ЦитироватьSoon, there will be three new ways to study the Sun's influence across the solar system with the launch of a trio of NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) spacecraft. Expected to launch no earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 23, the missions include NASA's IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe), NASA's Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and NOAA's SWFO-L1 (Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1) spacecraft. 

The three missions will launch together aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From there, the spacecraft will travel together to their destination at the first Earth-Sun Lagrange point (L1), around one million miles from Earth toward the Sun.

ЦитироватьLC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA

ЦитироватьNASA is targeting liftoff at NET 7:32 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, Sept. 23, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy

Цитата: Pirat5 от 13.09.2025 12:12:06https://www.spacex.com/launches/imap

ЦитироватьLAUNCH, LANDING, AND DEPLOYMENT
All Times Approximate
Hr/Min/Sec   Event
00:01:12   Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:29   1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:32   1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:40   2nd stage engine starts
00:03:12   Fairing separation
00:06:37   1st stage entry burn start
00:07:07   1st stage entry burn ends
00:07:52   2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:08:20   1st stage landing burn start
00:08:45   1st stage landing
01:12:28   2nd stage engine starts (SES-2)
01:13:30   2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)
01:23:51   IMAP deploys
01:30:26   Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 deploys
01:36:46   Carruthers Geocorona Observatory deploys

ЦитироватьMission Details
IMAP
Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) will help researchers better understand the boundary of the heliosphere, a magnetic barrier surrounding our solar system. This region is where the constant flow of particles from our Sun, called the solar wind, collides with winds from other stars. This collision limits the amount of harmful cosmic radiation entering the heliosphere. IMAP will collect and map neutral particles that make it through, as well as investigate the fundamental processes of how particles are accelerated in space, from its vantage point orbiting the Sun at the Lagrange 1 point directly between the Sun and Earth.
Manufacturer: Applied Physics Laboratory
Operator: NASA
Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 900.0 kg
Sun–Earth L1

SWFO-L1
Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) is a spacecraft mission planned to monitor signs of solar storms, which may pose harm to Earth's telecommunication network. The spacecraft will be operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It is planned to be placed at the Sun–Earth L1 Lagrange point, a location between the Earth and the Sun. This will allow SWFO-L1 to continuously watch the solar wind and energetic particles heading for Earth.
Manufacturer: BAE Systems
Operator: NOAA
Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 377.0 kg
Sun–Earth L1

Carruthers Geocorona Observatory
AKA GLIDE
The Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, also known as GLIDE (Global Lyman-alpha Imagers of the Dynamic Exosphere), is a mission by NASA led by Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois to make unprecedented measurements of the far ultraviolet light emitted by hydrogen atoms in the Earth's outermost atmospheric layer, known as the exosphere, which extends almost halfway to the moon.
This bright emission serves as a tracer of exospheric density and spatial structure, knowledge of which is needed to advance understanding of upper atmospheric physics, particularly regarding Earth's recovery from solar-driven disturbances known as space weather.
Manufacturer: BAE Systems
Operator: NASA
Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 200.0 kg
Sun–Earth L1

ЦитироватьNASA's Kennedy Space Center  @NASAKennedy
Look at that beautiful stack! THREE missions fully integrated for ONE launch!
NASA's IMAP, NOAA's SWFO-L1, and NASA's Carruthers will lift off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9.
Launch is targeted for 7:32 am EDT on Sept. 23!
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/386281.jpg)

ЦитироватьLukas C. H.  @GewoonLukas_
Following the successful encapsulation of NASA's IMAP & Carruthers, and NOAA's SWFO-L1, the fairing with the 3 spacecraft was moved to LC-39A for integration with Falcon 9 ahead of launch NET September 23rd at 11:32:15 UTC. Both fairing halves, SN237 & SN230, are brand new.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/386282.jpg)

ЦитироватьNASA's IMAP, Rideshares Encapsulate, Complete Flight Readiness Review

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/386297.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/386297.jpg)

^{Workers transport NASA's IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) spacecraft along with the agency's Carruthers Geocorona Observatory and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Follow On–Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) satellite late on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, through early Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, from the Astrotech Space Operations Facility in Titusville Florida, to the SpaceX hangar at Launch Complex 39A at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA/Kim Shiflett}

NASA's IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) completed another step in a journey that will eventually take it about a million miles from Earth. Crews transported NASA's newest space weather observatory and two rideshares from the Astrotech Space Operations payload processing facility in Titusville to a SpaceX hangar at nearby Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 18. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the missions no earlier than 7:32 a.m. EDT Tuesday, Sept. 23, from Launch Complex 39A from NASA Kennedy.  

Спойлер

Over the past several days, technicians completed a series of critical steps to allow the spacecraft to make this trip. First, they mated IMAP (https://science.nasa.gov/mission/imap/)'s two rideshare companions, the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory (https://science.nasa.gov/mission/carruthers-geocorona-observatory/) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Follow On – Lagrange 1 (https://science.nasa.gov/mission/swfo-l1/) (SWFO-L1) satellite, to the Evolved Secondary Payload Adapter ring.
Next, the team joined the ring with its attached rideshares to the Payload Attach Fitting, which will connect all three observatories to the rocket's second stage. Following that, technicians secured the IMAP observatory to its payload adapter. Finally, they mated the payload adapter to the ring, completing the integration of all three spacecraft into a single stack for launch.
On Sept. 16, technicians encapsulated the payload stack inside the rocket's payload fairing at Astrotech. The payload fairing protects the spacecraft from aerodynamic forces and heat during ascent. Approximately three minutes after liftoff, the fairing halves will separate from the rocket and return to Earth, where SpaceX plans to recover them.
After verifying the health and status of the observatories, the team carefully transported the encapsulated assembly. It took several hours to convoy the delicate hardware to the SpaceX hangar, where the team will mate the encapsulated spacecraft to their rocket.
The IMAP mission was confirmed to proceed during the agency's Flight Readiness Review on Thursday. Mission managers from NASA, SpaceX, and the IMAP spacecraft conducted the review at NASA Kennedy to provide updates on the mission's status and certify its readiness to for final launch preparation activities.

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NASA will provide launch coverage on NASA+, (https://plus.nasa.gov/scheduled-video/three-new-missions-launch-to-track-space-weather/) Amazon Prime (https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/livetv?ref_=atv_hm_liv_LRad2e3b_slct&serviceToken=v0_Cl0KJDJmNzY1MjdmLTYwNjYtNGFkNC05Y2RjLWJiMDBjYWRiMjdiMxCQ482f-jIaLExpNitvL2dzaDBoR0NjVGdhVGdLTHptYkF6dHpuZ29zb2VJMDZ6YWhmZEk9IAESBmZpbHRlchgBIgRob21lKgRsaXZlWj8KDGxpbmVhckZpbHRlchIvCi1hbXpuMS1wdi1saW5lYXItbGl2ZV90YWItZmlsdGVyLWxlYXJuX2V4cGxvcmV6AIIBBjAAUABwAA%3D%3D), and more, beginning at 6:40 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, Sept. 23. NASA's Spanish launch coverage begins at 6:40 a.m. on NASA+ (https://plus.nasa.gov/scheduled-video/three-new-missions-launch-to-track-space-weather-espanol/), and the agency's Spanish-language YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@nasa_es/streams).

Спойлер

After launch, all three spacecraft will orbit the Sun near Lagrange point 1, about one million miles from Earth. From this location, IMAP will map the boundaries of the heliosphere, the protective bubble carved out of interstellar space by the solar wind. The IMAP mission seeks to understand the forces that control the shape of the heliosphere and will investigate how solar particles get accelerated to extremely high energies. The IMAP mission also will support near real-time observations of the solar wind and energetic particles.
The data collected by the IMAP mission will be used to create the IMAP Active Link in Real-Time (I-ALiRT) system. This system is designed to improve our understanding of space weather and enhance tools for next-generation space weather prediction. The improvements and enhancements made possible by I-ALiRT will provide better information for astronauts on missions to the Moon and Mars, including those under the Artemis campaign. It will also better inform Earth-based technologies that are vulnerable to space weather events, such as coronal mass ejections. The data supplements NOAA's SWFO-L1, which provides critical alerts and warnings to stakeholders. This represents a major step toward improving space weather forecasting and protecting our infrastructure as NASA explores deeper into space.
Carruthers will study Earth's exosphere, the outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere. NOAA's SWFO-L1 will monitor space weather to help protect critical infrastructure, the economy, and national security.
David McComas, professor, Princeton University, leads the IMAP mission with an international team of 27 partner institutions. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, built the spacecraft and operates the mission. NASA's IMAP is the fifth mission in NASA's Solar Terrestrial Probes program portfolio. The Explorers and Heliophysics Project Division at NASA Goddard manages the program for the agency's Heliophysics Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

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ЦитироватьNASA's Kennedy Space Center  @NASAKennedy
Encapsulation complete!

Technicians encapsulated the IMAP, SWFO-L1 and Carruthers payload stack inside the @SpaceX Falcon 9 fairing. The payload fairing protects the spacecraft from aerodynamic forces and heat during ascent.

Launch is targeted for 7:32 am EDT on Sept. 23!
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/386298.jpg)

Цитироватьhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-gzwILmPig
NASA Prelaunch News Conference on Three New Space Weather Missions (Sept. 21, 2025)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/349947.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/@NASA)  NASA (https://www.youtube.com/@NASA)
Experts from NASA, NOAA, and the Space Force will discuss three new missions to study space weather and its impacts on the solar system.
IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe), NASA's Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) are targeted to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 7:32 a.m. EDT (1132 UTC), Tuesday, Sept. 23.
 
The participants in the news conference are:

Спойлер

- Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
- Brad Williams, IMAP program executive, NASA Headquarters
- Irene Parker, deputy assistant administrator for Systems at NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
- Denton Gibson, launch director, NASA's Launch Services Program, NASA Kennedy
- Julianna Scheiman, director, NASA Science Missions, SpaceX
- Arlena Moses, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, U.S. Space Force
 

[свернуть]

Learn more about IMAP: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/imap/
Learn more about SWFO-L1: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/swfo...
Learn more about the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/carr...
^{Credit: NASA}

ЦитироватьLukas C. H.  @GewoonLukas_
Falcon 9 first stage B1096-2 is vertical at LC-39A, ready to take 3 space weather missions to the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrange Point more then 1.5 million kilometers away from Earth. Launch is now NET September 24rd at 11:30:35 UTC, and weather has an 85% chance of being favorable.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/386333.jpg)

Цитироватьhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNRrfamTT4k
Three New Missions Launch to Track Space Weather
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/349947.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/@NASA)  NASA (https://www.youtube.com/@NASA)

Цитировать🚀 Second stage Engine Cut-Off confirmed!

The Falcon's second stage will now coast for about one hour. There will be a second and final engine burn before deployment of the three science missions on board!

Цитировать🚀We're expecting the Falcon's second engine start in about 10 minutes. This burn will last only one minute, and is our last milestone before spacecraft deployments!

Цитировать🚀🛰IMAP spacecraft separation confirmed!

One down, two to go! SWFO-L1 is up next!

Цитировать🚀🛰SWFO-L1 spacecraft separation confirmed!

Only one more to go! Carruthers deployment coming up next.

Цитировать🚀🛰Carruthers spacecraft separation confirmed!

That's three for three! All missions aboard today's launch have now been deployed.

ЦитироватьAcquisition of Signal for all three spacecraft has been confirmed! IMAP, SWFO-L1, and Carruthers will orbit the Sun near Lagrange point 1, about one million miles from Earth.

Цитироватьhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtlzU-dQZ78 6:12
IMAP launch and Falcon 9 first stage landing
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220832.jpg)  SciNews (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjU6ZwoTQtKWfz1urL7XcbA)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle launched NASA's IMAP mission to interplanetary transfer orbit, along with NASA's Carruthers Geocorona Observatory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1), from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 24 September 2025, at 11:30 UTC (07:30 EDT). Following stage separation, Falcon 9's first stage (B1096) landed on the "Just Read the Instructions" droneship, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, having previously supported the KF-01 launch. According to NASA, Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) will map the boundaries of our heliosphere, study the Sun's activity and how the heliosphere boundary interacts with the local galactic neighbourhood beyond. NASA's Carruthers Geocorona Observatory is a small satellite that will observe Earth's outermost atmospheric layer, the exosphere. It will image the faint glow of ultraviolet light from this region, called the geocorona, to better understand how space weather impacts our planet. The SWFO-L1 spacecraft will monitor space weather and detect solar storms in advance, serving as an early warning beacon for potentially disruptive space weather, helping safeguard Earth's critical infrastructure and technological-dependent industries. The SWFO-L1 spacecraft is the first NOAA observatory designed specifically for and fully dedicated to continuous, operational space weather observations.
Credit: NASA/SpaceX

Цитироватьhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTldpmBWRT4 2:11
Deployment of IMAP, SWFO-L1 and Carruthers
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220832.jpg)  SciNews (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjU6ZwoTQtKWfz1urL7XcbA)
NASA's Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission was successfully deployed into interplanetary transfer orbit approximately 83 minutes after being launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 24 September 2025, at 11:30 UTC (07:30 EDT). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) was successfully deployed approximately 90 minutes after launch, while NASA's Carruthers Geocorona Observatory was successfully deployed approximately 96 minutes after launch.
Credit: NASA/SpaceX

Цитироватьhttps://apnews.com/article/solar-storms-launch-nasa-noaa-e1e76b973123262c15e717bc515ae6f0
...
Officials expect NASA's satellites to be in position and operational by the beginning of next year, and NOAA's spacecraft by spring.

NASA is kicking in more than $879 million for its two missions, while NOAA's share is $693 million.
...
Чиновники ожидают, что спутники NASA будут на местах и готовы к эксплуатации к началу следующего года, а космические аппараты NOAA — к весне.

NASA выделит более 879 миллионов долларов на свои две миссии, тогда как доля NOAA составляет 693 миллиона долларов.
...

Цитировать2025-215A    65725    IMAP               80,425.90    28.38    1,221,456    183    0.9893700
2025-215B    65726    SWFO-L1          80,425.90    28.38    1,221,456    183    0.9893700
2025-215C    65727    CARRUTHERS    80,425.90    28.38    1,221,456    183    0.9893700
2025-215D    65728    FALCON 9 R/B    80,425.90    28.38    1,221,456    183    0.9893700

ЦитироватьСтатистика запуска миссии IMAP
— 2-й полёт ступени Falcon 9 B1096
— 13-й запуск SpaceX в сентябре
— 14-й межпланетный запуск SpaceX
— 121-й плановый запуск SpaceX этого года
— 136-я успешная посадка ступени на платформу JRTI
— 220-й орбитальный запуск мира в этом году
— 414-я успешная посадка ступени на платформу
— 510-я успешная посадка ускорителей ракет Falcon
— 538-й пуск ракеты Falcon 9
— 554-й запуск SpaceX.

Цитата: Pirat5 от 14.10.2025 08:41:01почему пишут "IMAP is no longer on orbit"?

Цитата: Pirat5 от 14.10.2025 08:41:01почему пишут "IMAP is no longer on orbit"?

Цитата: hlynin от 09.12.2025 20:29:48Хорошо иллюстрированный пресс-подборка содержит

Цитата: Брабонт от 09.12.2025 20:32:31Мой кобыл пошёл паситься (с)

Цитировать^{Mara Johnson-Groh  January 12, 2026}
NASA's IMAP Mission Reaches Its Destination
NASA's IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) reached its destination at Lagrange point 1, or L1, approximately 1 million miles from Earth toward the Sun on Jan. 10.
The mission's operations team sent commands to the spacecraft on the morning of Jan. 9 to begin trajectory maneuvers to enter orbit at L1. Early on the morning of Jan. 10, the team confirmed the spacecraft had successfully entered its final L1 orbit, where it will stay for the duration of its mission.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/391199.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/391199.jpg)
^{On Jan. 10, flight controllers and spacecraft team members celebrated in the Mission Operations Center at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, as the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) completed the last of the maneuvers to position itself in orbit around the first Sun-Earth Lagrange point (L1).
NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Princeton/Ed Whitman}
From L1, IMAP (https://science.nasa.gov/mission/imap/) will explore and map the very boundaries of our heliosphere — the protective bubble created by the solar wind that encapsulates our entire solar system — and study how the heliosphere interacts with the local galactic neighborhood beyond.
As a modern-day celestial cartographer, IMAP will also explore and chart the vast range of particles in interplanetary space, investigating two of the most important overarching issues in heliophysics, namely the energization of charged particles from the Sun and the interaction of the solar wind at its boundary with interstellar space. Additionally, IMAP's real-time observations of the solar wind and energetic particles provide critical data that can help mitigate adverse space weather effects for spacecraft and humans.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/391200.jpg)
Video
^{A data visualization shows IMAP, SWFO-L1, and Carruthers Geocorona Observatory launching from Earth and arriving at L1.
NASA/Tom Bridgman}
Lagrange point 1 provides IMAP a stable and clear 360-degree view of the heliosphere. This position also allows an unobstructed view of the Sun, which enables the spacecraft to give about a half hour's warning to voyaging astronauts and spacecraft near Earth of harmful radiation coming their way. The IMAP spacecraft launched on Sept. 24, 2025, and traveled to L1 together with the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory (https://science.nasa.gov/mission/carruthers-geocorona-observatory/) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) SWFO-L1 (https://science.nasa.gov/mission/swfo-l1/) (Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1). There, it joins other spacecraft in orbit, such as NASA's Wind (https://science.nasa.gov/mission/wind/), ACE (https://science.nasa.gov/mission/ace/) (Advanced Composition Explorer), and ESA (European Space Agency)/NASA's SOHO (https://science.nasa.gov/mission/soho/) (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory). Data from IMAP's state-of-the-art instrumentation will greatly enhance the usefulness of data from these missions.
The mission is nearing completion of its commissioning phase and will begin its science mission on Feb. 1.
Principal investigator and Princeton University professor David McComas leads the IMAP mission, which has an international team of more than 20 partner institutions. Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, managed the development phase, built the spacecraft, and operates the mission, which is the fifth in NASA's Solar Terrestrial Probes Program portfolio. The Explorers and Heliophysics Projects Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the Solar Terrestrial Probes Program for the agency's Heliophysics Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
By Mara Johnson-Groh
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Цитировать^{Miles Hatfield  January 12, 2026}
NASA's Carruthers Geocorona Observatory Reaches Target Orbit
NASA's Carruthers Geocorona Observatory has achieved its target orbit, positioning the spacecraft to capture the first repeated observations of the ultraviolet glow from Earth's outer atmosphere, the geocorona.
The achievement was confirmed following its third and final orbital maneuver, a 2-minute thruster fire, on Jan. 8. The spacecraft has now entered its intended halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrange point, a position of gravitational balance approximately 1 million miles from Earth.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/391202.png) (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/dynamicimage/assets/science/hpd/geospace/Carruthers%20Beauty)

^{An artist's concept shows the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory at Earth–Sun Lagrange point 1 (L1).
NASA's Conceptual Imaging Lab/Jonathan North}

The loveseat-sized spacecraft launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 24, 2025. Since launch, the Carruthers team has been testing the spacecraft's instruments, capturing its "first light" images (https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/heliophysics/nasas-carruthers-geocorona-observatory-reveals-first-light-images/), and adjusting its course as it approached L1. Carruthers now begins its final checkout procedures before beginning its two-year primary science mission in March.

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/391203.png) (https://assets.science.nasa.gov/dynamicimage/assets/science/missions/carruthers-geocorona-observatory/Field%20Imagers%20w%20Text%20-)

These four images constitute the "first light" for the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory mission. The images were taken on Nov. 17, 2025, from a location near the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1 by the spacecraft's Wide Field Imager (left column) and Narrow Field Imager (right column) in far ultraviolet light (top row) and the specific wavelength of light emitted by atomic hydrogen known as Lyman-alpha (bottom row). Earth is the larger, bright circle near the middle of each image; the Moon is the smaller circle below and to the left of it. The fuzzy "halo" around Earth in the images in the bottom row is the geocorona: the ultraviolet light emitted by Earth's exosphere, or outermost atmospheric layer. The lunar surface still shines in Lyman-alpha because its rocky surface reflects all wavelengths of sunlight — one reason it is important to compare Lyman-alpha images with the broad ultraviolet filter. The far ultraviolet light imagery from the Narrow Field Imagery also captured two background stars, whose surface temperatures must be approximately twice as hot as the our Sun's to be so bright in this wavelength of light.
NASA/Carruthers Geocorona Observatory

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Carruthers uses two cameras, a wide-field imager and a narrow-field imager, to capture the most detailed images ever taken (https://science.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/goddard/new-nasa-mission-to-reveal-earths-invisible-halo/) of Earth's geocorona, the glow of ultraviolet light emitted by Earth's outermost atmospheric layer. The mission was named in honor of Dr. George R. Carruthers (https://www.nasa.gov/general/nasa-names-mission-in-honor-of-dr-george-r-carruthers-visionary-behind-first-moon-based-telescope/), inventor of the ultraviolet camera placed on the Moon by Apollo 16 astronauts that captured the first images of Earth's geocorona in 1972.
The Carruthers Geocorona Observatory mission is led by Dr. Lara Waldrop from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, leads mission implementation and operations, design, and development of the payload in collaboration with Utah State University's Space Dynamics Laboratory. The Carruthers spacecraft was designed and built by BAE Systems. NASA's Explorers and Heliophysics Projects Division at the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the mission for the agency's Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
By Miles Hatfield (mailto:miles.s.hatfield@nasa.gov)
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

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