(FOX 5/KUSI) — NASA and SpaceX will launch three satellites this week as part of new space weather missions with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The satellites, which are all meant to study space weather, were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday, Sept. 23, but NASA has delayed the mission to 7:30 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 24 instead.
The three satellites — NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe), Carruthers Geocorona Observatory and NOAA’s Space Weather Follow On – Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) — will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Dr. James Spann Jr., the senior scientist for space weather at NOAA, joined FOX 5/KUSI’s morning newscast to discuss the “cosmic carpooling.”
He said the NOAA spacecraft will be responsible for capturing images of the sun, while the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory will look at the Earth’s exosphere, which is the outermost layer of the atmosphere.
The primary mission of the rocket launch is NASA’s IMAP, which will look at the interface of the solar system with interstellar space, Spann described.
The satellites are also intended to help NOAA provide people with space weather warnings and alerts.
“The sun can misbehave occasionally by having these solar storms, which can impact astronauts and impact technologies here on the Earth,” he said.
Watch the full interview with Dr. James Spann, Jr. in the video player above.
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