New Delhi: NASA is gearing up to launch the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), a mission aimed at exploring the farthest reaches of our solar system.
Scheduled for launch on September 23, IMAP will study the heliosphere, the protective bubble formed by the Sun that shields the solar system from cosmic radiation.
IMAP will study how the Sun's activity affects the heliosphere and how this protective bubble interacts with the local galactic environment beyond, according to NASA.
The spacecraft will help scientists investigate how particles from the Sun gain energy and how the solar wind interacts with interstellar space. In addition to this, the new mission will support real-time observations of solar wind and energetic particles.
IMAP will map high-energy particles from the Sun, magnetic fields in interplanetary space, and even cosmic particles from exploded stars in interstellar space. The data collected by IMAP will feed into the IMAP Active Link in Real-Time (I-ALiRT) system, a tool designed to improve space weather prediction, NASA said.
I-ALiRT will provide real-time information about solar energetic particles and solar wind, helping protect astronauts on missions to the Moon and Mars, including NASA's Artemis program, the space agency said in a blog post.
IMAP carries 10 specialised instruments designed to measure different aspects of space. Each instrument has a specific role, such as detecting particles, measuring magnetic fields, or tracking energetic radiation.
IMAP will be positioned at the first Earth-Sun Lagrange point (L1), about one million miles from Earth toward the Sun.
This location allows the spacecraft to continuously monitor solar activity before it reaches Earth or nearby spacecraft by providing roughly 30 minutes of advance warning for astronauts and satellites about the harmful radiation coming to the Earth.
NASA's IMAP mission launch coverage will be available on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and other platforms starting at 6:40 am EDT (4:10 pm IST) on Tuesday, September 23.
Spanish-language coverage on NASA+ and the agency's Spanish-language YouTube channel will also begin at 4:10 pm IST.
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