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NASA’s Twin TRACERS Satellites Poised for July Launch to Probe Solar Storm Triggers

Once in sun-synchronous low Earth orbit, the satellites will begin tandem measurements of magnetic reconnection at Earth’s polar cusps to enhance space weather forecasts.

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The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, glows over Half Dome in Yosemite National Park on Oct. 11, 2024.
The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, is visible over Lake Berryessa near midnight on May 11, 2024. 

Overview

  • The two TRACERS spacecraft will lift off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on July 22 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 to begin a one-year primary mission.
  • Flying 10 to 120 seconds apart in sun-synchronous orbit, the satellites will offer near-real-time comparisons of plasma and magnetic field data within Earth’s polar cusps.
  • Each satellite carries five instruments designed to collect high-cadence data across more than 3,000 cusp crossings over the mission’s first year.
  • The mission is led by the University of Iowa with NASA management support and key instrument and bus contributions from Southwest Research Institute and Millennium Space Systems.
  • By integrating TRACERS observations with existing heliophysics missions, researchers aim to improve forecasts of solar storm impacts on GPS, power grids and astronaut safety.