NASA's TRACERS mission to study solar storms launches next week
On July 22, 2025, NASA is launching two TRACERS satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on a SpaceX Falcon 9.
Their job? To figure out how solar storms mess with Earth's magnetic shield—especially at the poles, where these storms can spark energy bursts that disrupt things like GPS, internet, and even power grids.
How the twin satellites will work
The twin satellites will fly together around Earth, measuring electric and magnetic fields during solar storms.
Because they move in sync, scientists get a clearer picture of how fast and how much solar energy hits our atmosphere—helping us predict space weather better.
NASA is also sending up 3 experimental tech projects
TRACERS isn't flying solo: NASA's also sending up three experimental tech projects.
There's Athena EPIC SmallSat for quick, affordable space imaging and PExT for testing new ways to talk between satellites.
All this helps protect the tech we use every day—and keeps astronauts safer as we rely more on space.