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SpaceX Launches IMAP, CGO, SWFO-L1 to Probe Solar Frontier and Space Weather
A Falcon 9 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 24, 2025, carrying NASA’s IMAP, CGO, and SWFO-L1 spacecraft. The mission aims to chart the heliosphere’s boundary, monitor Earth’s geocorona, and deliver constant space-weather alerts, protecting satellites and astronauts while expanding knowledge of the solar system’s outer edge.
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NASA IMAP Mission To Explore The Far Reaches Of The Solar System
NASA is gearing up to launch the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), a mission aimed at exploring the farthest reaches of our solar system.
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NASA Prepares 2025 Carruthers Mission to Explore Earth’s Hidden Hydrogen Halo
NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, launching in 2025, will capture ultraviolet light from hydrogen atoms to map Earth’s faint geocorona. Operating a million miles sunward, it will study how solar activity drives atmospheric loss, improves satellite protection, and reveals clues to planetary habitability, providing critical insight for fut...
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NASA Confirms Discovery of 6,000 Exoplanets Beyond Our Solar System
NASA has confirmed 6,000 exoplanets beyond our solar system, highlighting three decades of accelerating discovery. From scorching hot Jupiters to worlds with jewel-like clouds, the catalog reflects cosmic diversity. Future missions aim to identify true Earth analogs and investigate signs of life across distant planetary systems.
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Sun Shows Signs of Rising Activity Following Decades of Weakening, Study Finds
A new NASA study shows the Sun’s activity has been rising since 2008, reversing decades of decline. The unexpected trend suggests greater risks from solar storms, flares, and plasma ejections. Scientists stress improved forecasting is essential, with upcoming missions like IMAP and SWFO-L1 set to expand space weather monitoring and protection eff...
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IMAP Space Weather Mission to Lift Off Soon, NASA Confirms Broadcast Plans
NASA will stream the Sept. 23 launch of IMAP with two rideshare satellites from Kennedy Space Centre. IMAP will study the heliosphere, Carruthers will image Earth’s exosphere, and NOAA’s SWFO-L1 will provide early solar storm warnings. Together, the missions advance space weather science while protecting satellites, communications, and power sy...
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Scientists Propose Space Missions to Chase Down Interstellar Comets
A Southwest Research Institute study reveals that chasing interstellar comets like 3I/ATLAS is achievable with current rockets and instruments. Such missions could collect data on comet nuclei and comae, providing clues to the formation of other star systems. International collaborations make these rare, high-value missions increasingly realistic.
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Exoplanets Explained: How Astronomers Find Worlds Orbiting Stars Beyond the Sun
Exoplanets are planets orbiting stars outside our solar system, hidden by stellar glare and detected indirectly. Astronomers identify them by tracking star wobbles or dips in brightness during planetary transits. NASA’s Kepler mission revealed thousands, with TESS now expanding the search. These discoveries confirm that planetary systems are abun...
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NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Mission Finds Stardust in Asteroid Bennu Older Than the Solar System
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has found presolar stardust grains inside Bennu’s samples. These tiny particles, older than the Sun, carry chemical fingerprints of ancient stars and interstellar space. Bennu thus serves as a pristine time capsule, preserving the earliest clues to the birth of our solar system.
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Watch: Astronaut Shares Breathtaking Video Of Rare Red Aurora Above Earth As Seen From Space
Aurora can display a range of colours depending on the energy of the particles and atmospheric conditions.
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NASA’s PUNCH Mission Completes Final Orbit Manoeuvres, Opens Early Sun Data to the Public
NASA’s PUNCH mission has reached full operational status, enabling continuous monitoring of the Sun and solar wind from multiple vantage points around Earth. This collaborative effort complements other major solar missions and promises valuable insights into the Sun–Earth connection. Early public release of PUNCH’s science data marks an excit...
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NASA Missions Uncover a Diverse Galaxy of Super-Earths, Raising New Questions About Planetary Evolution
Super-Earths are among the most common planets in the galaxy, yet none exist in our solar system. Larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, they range from ocean-covered worlds to scorched, atmosphere-less rocks. Some orbit within habitable zones, making them prime candidates for life. NASA’s Kepler and TESS missions, along with upcoming telesc...
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NASA's TRACERS Satellites Begin Solar Wind Study Despite SV1 Glitch
NASA launched its twin TRACERS satellites on July 23, 2025, to study how solar wind causes magnetic reconnection in Earth's magnetosphere. However, a power issue on one spacecraft, SV1, has caused intermittent communication. Engineers believe the issue relates to sunlight availability on its solar panels and plan recovery efforts in August. Meanwhi...
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Solar Sail Spacecraft Could Boost Space Weather Warnings by Nearly 60 Minutes
A solar sail spacecraft could extend space weather warnings from 40 to 60 minutes, offering vital lead time before solar storms strike. Part of the SWIFT mission, this satellite will orbit farther than any current monitor, using sunlight for propulsion. The system aims to better protect satellites, astronauts, and power grids from geomagnetic disru...
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NASA’s TRACERS Mission Successfully Launches to Explore Earth’s Magnetic Field and Solar Wind Interactions
NASA's latest launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base saw the TRACERS mission successfully lift off, one day after a delay due to FAA airspace restrictions. The mission promises valuable insights into solar wind interactions and space weather impacts.
-
SpaceX Launches IMAP, CGO, SWFO-L1 to Probe Solar Frontier and Space Weather
A Falcon 9 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 24, 2025, carrying NASA’s IMAP, CGO, and SWFO-L1 spacecraft. The mission aims to chart the heliosphere’s boundary, monitor Earth’s geocorona, and deliver constant space-weather alerts, protecting satellites and astronauts while expanding knowledge of the solar system’s outer edge.
-
NASA IMAP Mission To Explore The Far Reaches Of The Solar System
NASA is gearing up to launch the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), a mission aimed at exploring the farthest reaches of our solar system.
-
NASA Prepares 2025 Carruthers Mission to Explore Earth’s Hidden Hydrogen Halo
NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, launching in 2025, will capture ultraviolet light from hydrogen atoms to map Earth’s faint geocorona. Operating a million miles sunward, it will study how solar activity drives atmospheric loss, improves satellite protection, and reveals clues to planetary habitability, providing critical insight for fut...
-
NASA Confirms Discovery of 6,000 Exoplanets Beyond Our Solar System
NASA has confirmed 6,000 exoplanets beyond our solar system, highlighting three decades of accelerating discovery. From scorching hot Jupiters to worlds with jewel-like clouds, the catalog reflects cosmic diversity. Future missions aim to identify true Earth analogs and investigate signs of life across distant planetary systems.
-
Sun Shows Signs of Rising Activity Following Decades of Weakening, Study Finds
A new NASA study shows the Sun’s activity has been rising since 2008, reversing decades of decline. The unexpected trend suggests greater risks from solar storms, flares, and plasma ejections. Scientists stress improved forecasting is essential, with upcoming missions like IMAP and SWFO-L1 set to expand space weather monitoring and protection eff...
-
IMAP Space Weather Mission to Lift Off Soon, NASA Confirms Broadcast Plans
NASA will stream the Sept. 23 launch of IMAP with two rideshare satellites from Kennedy Space Centre. IMAP will study the heliosphere, Carruthers will image Earth’s exosphere, and NOAA’s SWFO-L1 will provide early solar storm warnings. Together, the missions advance space weather science while protecting satellites, communications, and power sy...
-
Scientists Propose Space Missions to Chase Down Interstellar Comets
A Southwest Research Institute study reveals that chasing interstellar comets like 3I/ATLAS is achievable with current rockets and instruments. Such missions could collect data on comet nuclei and comae, providing clues to the formation of other star systems. International collaborations make these rare, high-value missions increasingly realistic.
-
Exoplanets Explained: How Astronomers Find Worlds Orbiting Stars Beyond the Sun
Exoplanets are planets orbiting stars outside our solar system, hidden by stellar glare and detected indirectly. Astronomers identify them by tracking star wobbles or dips in brightness during planetary transits. NASA’s Kepler mission revealed thousands, with TESS now expanding the search. These discoveries confirm that planetary systems are abun...
-
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Mission Finds Stardust in Asteroid Bennu Older Than the Solar System
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has found presolar stardust grains inside Bennu’s samples. These tiny particles, older than the Sun, carry chemical fingerprints of ancient stars and interstellar space. Bennu thus serves as a pristine time capsule, preserving the earliest clues to the birth of our solar system.
-
Watch: Astronaut Shares Breathtaking Video Of Rare Red Aurora Above Earth As Seen From Space
Aurora can display a range of colours depending on the energy of the particles and atmospheric conditions.
-
NASA’s PUNCH Mission Completes Final Orbit Manoeuvres, Opens Early Sun Data to the Public
NASA’s PUNCH mission has reached full operational status, enabling continuous monitoring of the Sun and solar wind from multiple vantage points around Earth. This collaborative effort complements other major solar missions and promises valuable insights into the Sun–Earth connection. Early public release of PUNCH’s science data marks an excit...
-
NASA Missions Uncover a Diverse Galaxy of Super-Earths, Raising New Questions About Planetary Evolution
Super-Earths are among the most common planets in the galaxy, yet none exist in our solar system. Larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, they range from ocean-covered worlds to scorched, atmosphere-less rocks. Some orbit within habitable zones, making them prime candidates for life. NASA’s Kepler and TESS missions, along with upcoming telesc...
-
NASA's TRACERS Satellites Begin Solar Wind Study Despite SV1 Glitch
NASA launched its twin TRACERS satellites on July 23, 2025, to study how solar wind causes magnetic reconnection in Earth's magnetosphere. However, a power issue on one spacecraft, SV1, has caused intermittent communication. Engineers believe the issue relates to sunlight availability on its solar panels and plan recovery efforts in August. Meanwhi...
-
Solar Sail Spacecraft Could Boost Space Weather Warnings by Nearly 60 Minutes
A solar sail spacecraft could extend space weather warnings from 40 to 60 minutes, offering vital lead time before solar storms strike. Part of the SWIFT mission, this satellite will orbit farther than any current monitor, using sunlight for propulsion. The system aims to better protect satellites, astronauts, and power grids from geomagnetic disru...
-
NASA’s TRACERS Mission Successfully Launches to Explore Earth’s Magnetic Field and Solar Wind Interactions
NASA's latest launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base saw the TRACERS mission successfully lift off, one day after a delay due to FAA airspace restrictions. The mission promises valuable insights into solar wind interactions and space weather impacts.
