NASA is gearing up to launch the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) after September to chart the boundary where the solar wind collides with interstellar space.
IMAP aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the heliosphere, a protective magnetic bubble enveloping our solar system. The sun's continuous emission of charged particles, the solar wind, extends far beyond Pluto, encountering the interstellar medium to form this vast bubble.
Scientists at Kennedy Space Center in Florida recently prepared the probe for launch, marking the beginning of preparations for a summer launch. This mission is the ninth for NASA's Launch Services Program on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
IMAP will launch with the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory and the Space Weather Follow On L1 satellite. These will travel to Florida later this year.