IMAP – Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe

NASA’s new Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, or IMAP, will explore and map the very boundaries of our heliosphere — a huge bubble created by the Sun's wind that encapsulates our solar system — and study how that boundary interacts with the local galactic neighborhood beyond.As a modern-day celestial cartographer, IMAP will chart the vast range of particles in interplanetary space, helping to investigate two of the most important overarching issues in heliophysics — the energization of charged particles from the Sun, and the interaction of the solar wind with interstellar space. Additionally, IMAP will support near real-time observations of the solar wind and energetic particles, which can produce hazardous conditions in the space environment near Earth. IMAP is launching no earlier than Sept. 23, 2025, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Learn more about IMAP science: https://science.nasa.gov/missions/nasas-imap-mission-to-study-boundaries-of-our-home-in-space/Find out more about the IMAP mission: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/imap/ ||

The heliosphere, the massive bubble created by our Sun, is like our “house” in space. It shelters us from harsh weather outside and regulates the environment inside. Without our heliosphere, Earth may never have developed life at all. But there’s a lot we still don’t know about our cosmic home. How big is it, and what is it shaped like? How does it compare to the “houses” created by other stars? A new NASA mission will soon unlock answers to these questions and more. Launching as early as Sept. 23, NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe will help us construct the “blueprints” or our home in space. This three-part series explores how we learn about our heliosphere, how it protects us, and how it advances the search for life elsewhere in the Universe. ||

NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, or IMAP, is a new mission that will map the boundaries of our heliosphere — a giant protective bubble created by the Sun that encapsulates our solar system. The spacecraft will study the Sun’s activity and how the heliosphere boundary interacts with the local galactic neighborhood beyond.The heliosphere protects the solar system from dangerous high-energy particles called galactic cosmic rays. Mapping the heliosphere’s boundaries helps scientists understand our home in space and how it came to be habitable. IMAP is launching no earlier than Sept. 23, 2025, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Learn more about the IMAP mission. ||

Soon, there will be three new ways to study the Sun’s influence across the solar system with the launch of a trio of NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) spacecraft. Launching September 23, 2025, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the missions include NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe), NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and NOAA’s SWFO-L1 (Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1) spacecraft.The missions will each study different effects of the solar wind — the continuous stream of particles emitted by the Sun — and space weather — the changing conditions in space driven by the Sun — from their origins at the Sun to their farthest reaches billions of miles away at the edge of our solar system. Research from the missions will help us better understand the Sun’s influence on Earth’s habitability, map our home in space, and protect satellites and voyaging astronauts from space weather threats.Watch the launch with NASA from anywhere in the world. We will provide live broadcast coverage on September 23 from 6:40 a.m. to about 9:15 a.m. EDT (1040 to 1415 UTC) on NASA+, Amazon Prime, Twitch, YouTube, and more. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.Media Resources• Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP)• Carruthers Geocorona Observatory• Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) ||

NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) will explore and map the very boundaries of our heliosphere — a huge bubble created by the Sun's wind that encapsulates our entire solar system — and study how the heliosphere interacts with the local galactic neighborhood beyond.As a modern-day celestial cartographer, IMAP will also explore and chart the vast range of particles in interplanetary space, helping to investigate two of the most important overarching issues in heliophysics — the energization of charged particles from the Sun, and the interaction of the solar wind at its boundary with interstellar space. Additionally, IMAP will support real-time observations of the solar wind and energetic particles, which can produce hazardous conditions in the space environment near Earth. The IMAP spacecraft will be located at Lagrange Point 1, or L1. Lagrange points are positions in space where objects sent there tend to stay put. At L1, which is around 1 million miles from Earth towards the Sun, the gravitational pull of the Sun and Earth are balanced, allowing spacecraft to reduce fuel consumption needed to remain in position. At L1, IMAP will have a clear view of the heliosphere and will also be positioned to provide advanced warning of incoming solar storms headed to Earth. Learn more about IMAP.Below are conceptual animations highlighting the IMAP spacecraft. ||

The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, or IMAP, will explore and map the very boundaries of our heliosphere — a huge bubble created by the Sun's wind that encapsulates our entire solar system — and study how the heliosphere interacts with the local galactic neighborhood beyond.The mission’s investigation of the boundaries of the heliosphere will be primarily done with energetic neutral atoms, or ENAs. An ENA is a type of uncharged particle formed when an energetic positively charged ion runs into a slow-moving neutral atom. The ion picks up an extra negatively charged electron in the collision, making it neutral — hence the name energetic neutral atom. This process frequently happens wherever there is plasma in space, such as throughout the heliosphere, including its boundary.The IMAP-Lo, IMAP-HI, and IMAP-Ultra instruments on IMAP are imaging the energies and composition of ENAs.Learn more about IMAP: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/imap/ ||

The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, or IMAP, will explore and map the very boundaries of our heliosphere — a huge bubble created by the Sun's wind that encapsulates our entire solar system — and study how the heliosphere interacts with the local galactic neighborhood beyond.Learn more about IMAP: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/imap/ ||

The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, or IMAP, will explore and map the very boundaries of our heliosphere — a huge bubble created by the Sun's wind that encapsulates our entire solar system — and study how the heliosphere interacts with the local galactic neighborhood beyond. Additionally, IMAP will support real-time observations of the solar wind and energetic particles, which can produce hazardous conditions in the space environment near Earth. The IMAP spacecraft is situated at the first Earth-Sun Lagrange point (L1), at around one million miles from Earth toward the Sun. There, it will collect and measure particles that have traveled from the Sun, the heliosphere’s boundary 6 to 9 billion miles away, and interstellar space. At L1, it can also provide about a half hour's warning to voyaging astronauts and spacecraft near Earth of harmful radiation coming their way. ||

Three missions, Carruthers, IMAP and SWFO-L1 will be launched to the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point, L1.

Lagrange points are positions in space where objects sent there tend to stay put. At Lagrange points, the gravitational pull of two large masses precisely equals the centripetal force required for a small object to move with them. These points in space can be used by spacecraft to reduce fuel consumption needed to remain in position.Of the five Lagrange points, three are unstable and two are stable. The unstable Lagrange points - labeled L1, L2 and L3 - lie along the line connecting the two large masses. The stable Lagrange points - labeled L4 and L5 - form the apex of two equilateral triangles that have the large masses at their vertices. L4 leads the orbit of earth and L5 follows.The L1 point of the Earth-Sun system affords an uninterrupted view of the Sun and will be home to three new heliophysics missions in 2025 - NASA's Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), NASA's Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and NOAA's Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1). ||

NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) reached its destination at Lagrange point 1, or L1, approximately 1 million miles from Earth toward the Sun on Jan. 10, 2026.The mission’s operations team sent commands to the spacecraft on the morning of Jan. 9 to begin trajectory maneuvers to enter orbit at L1. Early on the morning of Jan. 10, the team confirmed the spacecraft had successfully entered its final L1 orbit, where it will stay for the duration of its mission.From L1, IMAP will explore and map the very boundaries of our heliosphere — the protective bubble created by the solar wind that encapsulates our entire solar system — and study how the heliosphere interacts with the local galactic neighborhood beyond.Learn more about the milestone: https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/imap/2026/01/12/nasas-imap-mission-reaches-its-destination/ ||

NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) launched three new missions Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, to investigate the Sun’s influence across the solar system.At 7:30 a.m. EDT, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying the agency’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe), Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and NOAA’s SWFO-L1 (Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1) spacecraft.Learn more about IMAP: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/imap/Learn more about Carruthers Geocorona Observatory: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/carruthers-geocorona-observatory/Learn more about SWFO-L1: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/swfo-l1/ ||

NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) spacecraft arrived May 10, 2025, for processing at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will study how the Sun shapes the boundaries of the heliosphere, the bubble around our solar system. A semitrailer transported the spacecraft from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, after completing thermal vacuum testing, which simulates the harsh conditions of space, at the X-ray and Cryogenic Facility. Astrotech provides the facility and technicians to prepare the spacecraft for launch, including fueling and encapsulation. The IMAP spacecraft launched Sept. 24, 2025, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy. ||

NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, or IMAP, arrived at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center on March 18, 2025, to undergo testing prior to launch. At Marshall, IMAP will be exposed to extreme temperature changes during a 28-day-long test inside a thermal vacuum chamber (TVAC). By simulating the harsh conditions in space, scientists and engineers can identify any potential issues before launch.To learn more about the testing visit: https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/imap/2025/05/07/nasas-imap-completes-thermal-vacuum-testing-campaign/After thermal vacuum testing concluded at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, IMAP was transported to Florida: https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/imap/2025/05/10/nasas-interstellar-mapping-mission-arrives-in-florida/ ||

NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, or IMAP, is embarking on its yearlong integration and testing campaign, during which its instruments and components will be added to the spacecraft structure, tested to ensure they will survive the harsh environments of launch and space, and made ready to execute its mission.

NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, or IMAP, is embarking on its yearlong integration and testing campaign, during which all of the instruments and components will be added to the spacecraft structure, tested to ensure they will survive the harsh environments of launch and space, and made ready to execute its mission.

Our solar system is nestled inside the Milky Way galaxy, home to more than 100 billion stars. Stretching for millions of miles around the solar system is a protective bubble called the heliosphere. Created by particles and magnetic fields from the Sun, the heliosphere separates our solar system from the vast galaxy beyond — and much of its harsh space radiation that can be damaging to life on Earth. ||

Surrounding our solar system is a giant protective bubble created by particles and magnetic fields from the Sun called the heliosphere. Every 11 years, the Sun’s activity ramps up and down in what’s known as the solar cycle. As the Sun reaches its peak activity level, called solar maximum, the heliosphere expands. During this time, the heliosphere’s protective shield is strengthened by the increase in particles and magnetic fields from the Sun. As a result, fewer damaging particles from the galaxy, such as galactic cosmic rays, are able to penetrate into the heliosphere. As the Sun ramps down into a low level of activity, called solar minimum, the heliosphere shrinks and more cosmic rays are able to enter the heliosphere. ||

The sun sends out a constant flow of charged particles called the solar wind, which ultimately travels past all the planets to some three times the distance to Pluto before being impeded by the interstellar medium. This forms a giant bubble around the sun and its planets, known as the heliosphere. NASA studies the heliosphere to better understand the fundamental physics of the space surrounding us - which, in turn, provides information regarding space throughout the rest of the universe, as well as regarding what makes planets habitable.The solar wind is a gas of charged particles known as plasma, a state of matter governed by its own set physical laws just as the more common solids, liquids, and gases are. As the solar wind sweeps out into space, it creates a space environment filled with radiation as well as magnetic fields that trail all the way back to the sun. This space environment is augmented by interstellar cosmic rays and occasional concentrated clouds of solar material that burst off the sun, known as coronal mass ejections.This complex environment surrounds the planets and ultimately has a crucial effect on the formation, evolution, and destiny of planetary systems. For one thing, our heliosphere acts as a giant shield, protecting the planets from galactic cosmic radiation. Earth is additionally shielded by its own magnetic field, the magnetosphere, which protects us not only from solar and cosmic particle radiation but also from erosion of the atmosphere by the solar wind. Planets without a shielding magnetic field, such as Mars and Venus, are exposed to such processes and have evolved differently.NASA's studies of the heliosphere include research into: how the solar wind behaves near Earth; what causes and sustains magnetic and electric fields around other planets; how does the heliosphere interact with the interstellar medium; what do the boundaries of the heliosphere look like; what is the origin and evolution of the solar wind and the interstellar cosmic rays; and what contributes to the habitability of exoplanets.The field is, therefore, intensely cross-disciplinary. Heliospheric research often works hand in hand with planetary scientists, astrophysicists, astrobiologists, and space weather researchers.NASA heliophysics missions contributing to heliospheric research are: the Advanced Composition Explorer; NOAA's Deep Space Climate Observatory, the Interstellar Boundary Explorer, the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory; Voyager, and Wind. ||

This is an updated version of an older animation. Starting with a view of our Milky Way galaxy, the orange gas in the animation represents the interstellar medium. The bow shock is created because the heliosphere is moving through like a boat through the water, crashing through the interstellar gases. ||

This animation shows how variations in the size of the heliosphere affect how many cosmic rays reach Earth. As the heliosphere expands, it blocks more cosmic rays, and as it contracts, more cosmic rays get through and can affect astronauts and satellites. ||

This animation shows the heliosphere expanding and contracting in response to the solar cycle. As the sun reaches solar maximum, the solar wind increases and expands the heliosphere. During solar minimum, the heliosphere contracts. ||

This animation is an update HD version of #010149 that starts at the Sun and pulls back to reveal the Heliosphere. ||

Animation showing Heliotail solar winds. || heliotail animation || Heliotail_0090000877_print.jpg (1024x576) [68.7 KB] || Heliotail_00900_web.png (320x180) [55.2 KB] || Heliotail_00900_thm.png (80x40) [5.5 KB] || heliotail.webmhd.webm (960x540) [3.5 MB] || Helio (3840x2160) [64.0 KB] || heliotail.mp4 (3840x2160) [16.2 MB] ||

Animation of the interstellar interaction with our Sun-one of billions of stars that orbits around the galaxy. As we zoom in through the galaxy we can see our heliosphere; then if we travel along with the interstellar material, we can see how only a very rare few are directed along precisely the right path to make the 30 year, 15 billion mile journey and enter IBEX's low energy sensor and be detected.For press release media associated with this animation, go: here. ||

The Sun constantly emits a stream of high energy particles that can be accelerated by magnetic fields and other processes to nearly the speed of light. These particles, made of protons, ions and electrons, can be damaging at Earth where they can impede the function of satellites and telecommunications. NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) studies particle acceleration to better understand the fundamental processes driving these particles. This information will help scientists better understand and prepare for their effects at Earth, collectively called space weather. ||

The Sun goes through phases of strong activity, during which eruptions can occur. Such eruptions can have multiple components, including X rays, coronal mass ejection plasma, and solar energetic particles – bursts or events of fast-moving particles. These events can occur suddenly and have the potential to rapidly change the radiation environment of wide swaths of the inner solar system where they may create hazardous conditions. Not only are such conditions dangerous for humans in space, but the intense ionizing radiation can also affect the interior of spacecraft, including sensitive electronics. Solar energetic particles can reach all regions of near-Earth space, including the lunar surface, with the exception of low-altitude and low-latitude Earth orbit, where the Earth’s magnetic field is strong enough to form a protective barrier. ||

This animation shows a charged solar particle's path leaving the sun, while following the magnetic field lines out to the heliosheath. The solar particle hits a hydrogen atom, stealing its electron and becoming neutral. We then follow it until we see it hit one of IBEX's detectors. ||

The sun is always changing and NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory is always watching. Launched on Feb. 11, 2010, SDO keeps a 24-hour eye on the entire disk of the sun, with a prime view of the graceful dance of solar material coursing through the sun's atmosphere, the corona.Year 1 ||

The Sun releases a constant stream of charged particles, called the solar wind. The solar wind originates in the outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere, the corona, when plasma is heated to a point that the Sun’s gravity can’t hold it down. When this plasma escapes – often reaching speeds of over one million miles per hour – it drags the Sun’s magnetic out across the solar system. When the solar wind encounters Earth, it is deflected by our planet's magnetic shield, causing most of the solar wind's energetic particles to flow around and beyond us. However, some of these high-energy particles can sneak past Earth’s natural magnetic defenses and produce hazardous conditions for satellites and astronauts, as well as power grids and infrastructure on Earth.Learn more about the solar wind: https://science.nasa.gov/sun/what-is-the-solar-wind/ ||