NASA Launches TRACERS Satellites to Study Solar Storms

NASA has successfully launched the TRACERS mission, deploying two identical satellites into low-Earth orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The satellites will investigate magnetic reconnection at Earth's polar cusps by making 3,000 measurements in a year, aiming to improve understanding of how solar storms affect the magnetosphere and cause disruptions to satellites, GPS, and power grids. This mission is critical for advancing the prediction and mitigation of space weather impacts amid increasing solar activity. TRACERS operates alongside other NASA missions like PUNCH and EZIE to study solar-terrestrial interactions, with all data to be made publicly available. Additional NASA-funded payloads, including Athena EPIC, PExT, and REAL CubeSat, were launched on the same rocket to enhance research capabilities. The comprehensive effort marks a significant step in protecting technological infrastructure from solar weather threats.