NASA is preparing to launch two new satellites under its TRACERS mission to study magnetic storms and improve the prediction of space weather that can impact Earth’s atmosphere, communication networks, and satellite systems. The Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites, known as TRACERS, will fly in low Earth orbit and observe the polar cusps. These are funnel-shaped regions in Earth’s magnetosphere where solar energy and particles enter the planet’s magnetic field.
This $170 million mission will help scientists better understand how the solar wind causes disruptions in Earth’s magnetic field. The two spacecraft will follow one another closely, making it possible to compare plasma and magnetic conditions in near real time. This dual observation system offers better insight than previous missions that relied on a single satellite.
According to NASA’s Heliophysics Division Director Joe Westlake, the TRACERS mission aims to support early warnings of solar storms that can interfere with GPS, power grids, and space missions. The mission is focused on understanding magnetic reconnection, a key heliophysics phenomenon where magnetic energy is rapidly released. This process fuels solar flares and impacts space weather that reaches Earth.
Principal investigator David Miles explained that the mission is crucial for improving basic knowledge of how Earth’s magnetosphere reacts to solar energy. By tracking these changes, researchers can identify if variations are caused by solar activity or by changes within Earth’s magnetic field.
Positioned 590 kilometers above the Earth, TRACERS will work in coordination with other ongoing space missions to provide a clearer picture of the Sun-Earth connection. The mission’s low Earth orbit will allow it to collect unique data that complements broader heliophysics research.
Set to launch later in July, TRACERS will play an essential role in making space weather predictions more accurate and in helping societies that depend on space-based systems remain safe and resilient.
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