IMAP's near-real-time data products include observations of the solar wind and energetic particles that can inform forecasters issuing advanced warnings and alerts for spacecraft and astronaut safety.
NASA's IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) launched on September 24, 2025.
IMAP will investigate the energization of charged particles from the Sun and the interaction of the solar wind at its boundary with interstellar space.
Some of IMAP's data is being fed into the IMAP Active Link for Real-Time (I-ALiRT) system to broadcast near-real-time observations of space weather conditions headed toward Earth.
IMAP carries 10 scientific instruments to measure high-energy particles from the Sun, interplanetary magnetic fields, and interstellar dust.
IMAP is the fifth mission in NASA's Solar Terrestrial Probes Program portfolio.
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, managed IMAP's development phase, built the spacecraft, and operates the mission.
IMAP is mapping the boundaries of the heliosphere, the protective bubble created by the Sun that encapsulates the solar system.
IMAP will sample particles from the Sun and from beyond the heliosphere.
IMAP and the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory were launched together.
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory built and operates the IMAP spacecraft.
IMAP will contribute to NASA's heliophysics fleet examining how the Sun affects the space environment near Earth and across the solar system.
IMAP will map the structure of the heliospheric boundary and examine its interaction with the local interstellar environment beyond the solar system.
Dr. David McComas of Princeton University serves as IMAP's principal investigator.
IMAP's instruments will collect and analyze particles crossing the heliospheric boundary and examine the processes that accelerate particles throughout the heliosphere and beyond.
Southwest Research Institute managed the IMAP payload and coordinated the development and delivery of all 10 mission instruments contributed by multiple institutions.
The IMAP spacecraft will reach its target orbit around the Sun, at Earth Lagrange Point 1, about one million miles sunward of Earth.
IMAP has entered a science demonstration phase and is scheduled to begin routine science operations on February 1, 2026.
IMAP is the fifth mission in NASA's Solar Terrestrial Probes program, which is managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center.
SpaceX's launches in 2023 for NASA included SPHEREx/PUNCH, TRACERS, and IMAP/SWFO-L1/Carruthers.