Take a Look Inside NASA IMAP Stack Preparing for Launch Sept. 23 from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center

Watch launch coverage on Space Coast Daily TV

BREVARD COUNTY • KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLORIDA – At Kennedy Space Center, preparations are underway for a rare and complex rocket launch mission that will send three scientific payloads into space aboard a single rocket.

The fully integrated stack, which has drawn attention for its precision engineering, is scheduled to lift off at 7:32 a.m. on September 23.

Watch launch coverage on Space Coast Daily TV.

Sitting at the top of the stack is NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, or IMAP. The spacecraft is designed to investigate how the Sun’s energy and particles interact with the heliosphere, the vast protective bubble surrounding our solar system.

By studying these processes, IMAP will deepen understanding of cosmic radiation, solar activity, and the ways space weather impacts Earth and future human exploration.

Accompanying IMAP is NOAA’s Space Weather Follow On–L1 mission, known as SWFO-L1. Positioned to provide a continuous view of solar activity, this satellite represents NOAA’s first dedicated platform for uninterrupted space weather monitoring.

The data it gathers will serve as an early warning system for potentially destructive solar storms, helping to protect satellites, communications, and power infrastructure on Earth.

Also sharing the ride is NASA’s Carruthers mission, an instrument built to observe Earth’s geocorona, the outermost part of the atmosphere that glows in ultraviolet light. Its findings are expected to shed light on space weather effects, planetary atmospheric evolution, and the history of water on planetary bodies.

Together, the three payloads highlight a collaborative effort between NASA and NOAA to expand humanity’s knowledge of the Sun and its influence on the solar system. The upcoming launch represents both a technological achievement and a vital step forward in safeguarding Earth while preparing for future ventures deeper into space.

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