TRACERS through Earth's Polar Cusps

  • Released Tuesday, July 15, 2025
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This data visualization shows the orbit of NASA’s twin Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites, or TRACERS mission, in pink that will help scientists understand an explosive process called magnetic reconnection and its effects in Earth’s atmosphere.

Magnetic reconnection occurs when magnetic fields and particles from the Sun interact with Earth’s magnetic field. This process results in the funneling of charged particles down toward Earth and our technology along our planet’s magnetic field lines, shown in yellow.

By flying through the Earth’s polar cusps – the vulnerable spot in this magnetic shield where the impacts of magnetic reconnection reverberate, shown as a blue “flow” – TRACERS will help scientists better understand this process and prepare for the impacts of solar activity on Earth, such as auroras and disruptions to telecommunications.

The two TRACERS spacecraft will take multiple measurements at the polar cusps by flying in rapid succession, less than two minutes apart. As the pair chase each other around Earth, they’ll take a record-breaking 3,000 measurements of magnetic reconnection in the first year alone.

For the latest information and media see the TRACERS media gallery or the TRACERS Mission page

Visualization of the orbit of the twin TRACERS satellites (pink) exploring electricity and magnetism in Earth's polar regions. The light-blue 'flows' represent the particle currents traveling from the edge of the magnetosphere, through the region of the ionosphere, and back out to the magnetosphere.

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This page was originally published on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 at 9:02 AM EDT.