24/7 Space News
SOLAR SCIENCE
SwRI solar wind plasma sensor integrated into NOAA satellite
illustration only
SwRI solar wind plasma sensor integrated into NOAA satellite
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 08, 2024

The Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has successfully delivered and integrated its Solar Wind Plasma Sensor (SWiPS) into a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite designed to track space weather. SWiPS is designed to measure ions originating from the Sun, particularly the fast-moving ions associated with coronal mass ejections, which can have significant impacts on Earth's magnetic environment.

The NOAA Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) satellite will orbit at a point known as L1, roughly a million miles from Earth. From this position, it will monitor solar wind conditions, high-energy particles, and the interplanetary magnetic field, providing critical data on space weather. Alongside SWiPS, SwRI developed the SWFO-L1 magnetometer and will also support mission operations and data analysis, enabling early warnings for space weather events that could affect technology such as GPS systems, power grids, and astronaut safety.

"The delivery and integration of SWiPS is the culmination of four years of hard work by a very dedicated and talented team. I couldn't be prouder of this group," said Dr. Robert Ebert, principal investigator for SWiPS and staff scientist in SwRI's Space Science Division. "The measurements made by SWiPS will provide advance warning in real-time of phenomena associated with space weather before they arrive in the space environment near Earth."

Now integrated into the spacecraft, SWiPS is undergoing environmental testing. The instrument will measure solar wind ion velocity, density, and temperature, data that will assist NOAA in predicting geomagnetic storm intensity in conjunction with the SWFO-L1 magnetometer.

"The SWiPS sensor design is based on the Ion and Electron Sensor flown on ESA's Rosetta comet mission," said Prachet Mokashi, project manager for SWiPS at SwRI. "The compact design, low resource requirements, and advanced data production make this instrument optimal for the SWFO-L1 and other similar missions."

SwRI's Space Science Division has a long history of designing instruments to study space plasmas, which are ionized gases that fill the space around Earth, other planets, and interplanetary regions.

The SWiPS project began amid the COVID-19 pandemic, adding complexity to its development. "Designing and developing a complex instrument such as this was especially challenging when we couldn't get the engineers in the same room, and supply chains were disrupted. But we persevered to build the flight instrument and successfully test it before delivery to NASA," said Michael Fortenberry, system engineer for SWiPS and director in SwRI's Space Systems Division.

NASA plans to launch the SWFO-L1 satellite in 2025 as part of a rideshare mission with the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) aboard a SpaceX vehicle. SwRI is also contributing to the IMAP mission by managing the payload and providing scientific instruments to analyze particles from interstellar space and study particle acceleration near Earth.

Related Links
Heliophysics at SwRI
Solar Science News at SpaceDaily

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SOLAR SCIENCE
Method for predicting sunspot numbers and magnetic synoptic maps developed
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Sep 27, 2024
A new study led by Prof. Jiansen He's team at Peking University, in collaboration with researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, introduces a novel approach for predicting solar activities. The team combines spatiotemporal decomposition methods with machine learning to forecast sunspot numbers and solar magnetic synoptic maps for Solar Cycle 25. The global distribution of the solar magnetic field plays a crucial role in influencing solar activity, which has significant impacts on human soc ... read more

SOLAR SCIENCE
Space Command working with Office of Space Commerce for spaceflight safety

Journey Through Stars with NASA in New Minecraft Game

Public participation in machine learning bolsters extraterrestrial research

NASA selects two mission proposals for new astrophysics program studies

SOLAR SCIENCE
Starfighters Space expands launch operations to Midland Texas Spaceport

Leicester Spinout Perpetual Atomics to Pioneer Space Nuclear Power Solutions

Momentus chosen by NASA for upcoming launch missions

Northrop Grumman selected to lead production of hypersonic interceptor

SOLAR SCIENCE
Cryptic Mars landscape revealed as ice thaws in southern hemisphere

NASA wants to send humans to Mars in the 2030s

New insights into how Mars became uninhabitable

Rocket Lab wins NASA contract to study martian rock sample return mission

SOLAR SCIENCE
China unveils new lunar spacesuit design ahead of moon mission

Xi emphasizes China's drive to lead in space exploration

China launches Yaogan 43B remote-sensing satellites from Xichang

Shenzhou-18 Crew Tests Fire Alarms and Conducts Medical Procedures in Space

SOLAR SCIENCE
Iridium partners with Nordic Semiconductor for integration of global NTN Direct service

BlackSky prices $40M Public Offering of Common Stock

Vodafone and Intelsat Expand Satellite Connectivity for Remote Areas and Emergency Response

Sidus strengthens LizzieSat operations with Neuraspace partnership

SOLAR SCIENCE
NASA image Earth's radiation belts during Juice mission flyby

Roman Space Telescope's 'Exoskeleton' Whirls Through Major Test

XDLINX Space Labs secures $7 million in seed funding led by Ashish Kacholia

Astrobotic tests LiDAR system in partnership with Armstrong Trails

SOLAR SCIENCE
Getting closer to understanding giant planet formation around M-dwarf stars

Europa Clipper will investigate whether an icy moon of Jupiter can support life

Astronomers explore water-rich atmosphere of exoplanet GJ 9827 d

UT Astronomers Rush to Capture Image of Planet Orbiting Nearby Star

SOLAR SCIENCE
SwRI's UVS Instrument on Jupiter-Bound Spacecraft Passes Critical In-Flight Test

NASA's Hubble, New Horizons team up for a simultaneous look at Uranus

Hubble watches Jupiter's Great Red Spot behave like a stress ball

Technicians prep Europa Clipper for propellant loading

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.