On September 24, 2025, SpaceX launched three important NASA spacecraft aboard a Falcon 9 rocket to study the Sun’s environment and space weather, helping protect satellites and future space missions. The primary spacecraft, the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, or IMAP, was accompanied by the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, CGO, and the Space Weather Follow-On L1, known as SWFO-L1.
IMAP will operate from the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1, where it will use ten scientific instruments to map the heliosphere. The heliosphere is a magnetic bubble created by the solar wind that surrounds the solar system. IMAP’s mission is to study how charged particles speed up at the edge of this bubble.
CGO will observe ultraviolet radiation in Earth’s geocorona, a thin outer layer of the planet’s atmosphere. This will help scientists understand how solar radiation interacts with Earth’s outer space environment. SWFO-L1 spacecraft will provide continuous monitoring of space weather, delivering advance warnings of solar storms. These storms can damage satellites, electrical systems on Earth, and pose risks to spacecraft and future lunar astronauts.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at 7:30 a.m. EDT. Approximately 84 minutes after launch, IMAP was released, followed by CGO and SWFO-L1. A key achievement during this mission was the successful landing of the rocket’s first stage on a drone ship, demonstrating SpaceX’s reusable launch technology.
The data collected by these spacecraft will improve models of the heliosphere, enhance predictions of space radiation, and support the safety of upcoming deep space missions, including NASA’s Artemis program. Together, IMAP, CGO, and SWFO-L1 will expand human understanding of the space environment beyond Earth’s magnetic shield and help ensure safer space travel in the future.
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