SpaceX Carries 3 NASA Satellites to Watch Solar Storms

A cluster of space weather satellites blasted off Wednesday to cast fresh eyes on solar storms that can produce stunning auroras but also scramble communications and threaten astronauts in flight. The three satellites soared from Kennedy Space Center in Florida shortly after sunrise on the same SpaceX rocket. They aimed for a sun-orbiting lookout 1 million miles from Earth, each on its own separate mission, the AP reports. Altogether, the satellites from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, plus related costs, run about $1.6 billion. NASA's Joe Westlake calls the mission "the ultimate cosmic carpool" by sharing a rocket to save money.

• Mapping probe: Heading the lineup is NASA's Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, the first to be deployed. It will scrutinize the outer limits of the heliosphere, the protective, solar wind-driven bubble of gas around our solar system. As a bonus, IMAP will be capable of providing 30 minutes' notice of solar storms for astronauts exploring the moon under NASA's Artemis program. Officials expect the observatory to be fully operational by the time four astronauts fly around the moon and back next year.
• Weather observatory: NASA's smaller Carruthers Geocorona Observatory also is flying, focusing on Earth's outermost, glowing atmosphere that extends well beyond the moon. It's named after the late scientist George Carruthers, who invented the ultraviolet telescope left on the moon by the Apollo 16 astronauts in 1972. NOAA's newest space weather observatory will be pushed into around-the-clock forecasting. It will keep tab on the sun's activity and measure the solar wind to help keep Earth safe from threatening flares.

• Halo effect: A small NASA satellite is the third to tag along. It's intended to study the invisible halo around Earth that was first imaged by Apollo astronauts, per the Washington Post. Among the questions it will try to answer is how the halo changes during a solar storm.
• Warnings: During a preview of NASA's upcoming Artemis mission around the moon, science officials said Tuesday that these new space weather missions will enhance forecasting and provide vital alerts if major solar activity strikes. If that happens, the four astronauts will take temporary shelter in a storage area under the capsule's floor to avoid the heightened radiation levels.