IMAP: NASA's new mission will study how the heliosphere protects us from cosmic radiation and seeks to better anticipate solar storms.

All eyes are on NASA's next groundbreaking mission, set to launch September 24 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe ( IMAP ) is a cosmic explorer tasked with constructing detailed maps of the heliosphere, the invisible shield generated by the Sun that protects the solar system from interstellar radiation .

IMAP will not only identify where this protective bubble ends and interstellar space begins, but will also track the path of charged particles emitted by the Sun until they cross that boundary. With ten state-of-the-art instruments, the mission promises to offer scientists an unprecedented level of detail.

The practical value of this research goes far beyond pure astronomy: the real-time data sent will help protect astronauts and spacecraft from solar radiation , and will provide infrastructure operators on Earth with early warnings about solar storms that could affect power grids, communications satellites, and navigation systems.

But IMAP won't be traveling alone. It will be accompanied on this launch by two additional missions: the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory , which will continue work begun more than 50 years ago with Apollo 16, and NOAA 's SWFO-L1 spacecraft, designed to monitor the solar wind and predict storms with the precision demanded by a technology-dependent civilization.

On the eve of this historic launch, EL TIEMPO spoke with Iker Liceaga Indart , a mechanical engineer at the Heliophysics Laboratory at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, who participated in the design and assembly of key instruments for the mission.

IMAP is a satellite that we will launch into space tomorrow aboard a rocket from here at Cape Canaveral. It's a mission led by NASA, along with other institutions, that seeks to create a detailed map of the heliosphere, which is like a protective bubble created by the Sun thanks to the constant flow of charged particles it expels into space. This bubble protects us from radiation and high-energy particles coming from other galaxies. We shouldn't imagine the heliosphere as a rigid boundary or a sheet, but rather as a dynamic region where solar material interacts with interstellar material. With IMAP, we will have a complete portrait of that region for the first time.

The Sun is constantly emitting radiation and charged particles. These can cause potential damage to orbiting satellites and even to infrastructure here on Earth, such as power grids. Understanding and predicting these phenomena is crucial: if we can anticipate a solar storm, we can shut down sensitive systems in time, protect spacecraft, and ensure the safety of astronauts on future deep-space missions.

Basically, it will help us predict these storms with enough advance notice so that astronauts can protect themselves from them, both on their ships and on the Moon, or eventually on Mars and other locations. Simulations on this topic are also being conducted by both NASA and NOAA—the institution that also provides one of the satellites to be launched tomorrow. IMAP data will help provide more reliable and detailed forecasts, so that trajectories can be planned, radiation shelters on spacecraft can be designed, and critical decisions can be made for astronaut safety.

This type of catastrophic event is extremely rare. Despite this, there is a remote possibility of them occurring, which is why we are working to obtain better data for better predictions with missions like this one.

IMAP is the primary mission, but it will travel alongside two smaller satellites. The first is the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, named after George Carruthers, a scientist who, during NASA's Apollo missions, designed the instrument that was used for the first time to observe an outer layer of our atmosphere called the geocorona. This layer interacts strongly with radiation coming from the Sun, helping to protect us. This satellite aims to improve on the measurements taken during the Apollo missions in order to better understand what the geocorona is like and how it interacts with radiation coming from the Sun.

On the other hand, there's NOAA's SWFO-L1 mission, which will be entirely dedicated to observing space weather in real time. Its major advantage is that it will allow solar storms to be predicted more accurately and quickly than ever before.

Because Apollo 16 was the first mission to detect the geocorona, but under very limited conditions. What we'll do now is continue that legacy, with a global view and much more sensitive tools. In a way, it's closing a cycle that began half a century ago and opening another that will allow us to better understand how Earth's atmosphere interacts with solar activity.

As a mechanical engineer, I participated in the design of parts for one of the instruments, ensuring they all fit together perfectly, almost like a giant three-dimensional puzzle. Then, together with my team, we physically built and assembled those components onto the satellite. For me, watching this mission take off will be like seeing something I've been working on for years come to life. It's a mix of pride and excitement, because we know the data we'll receive will change our understanding of the environment that protects us in space.