CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A group of space weather satellites launched into space on Wednesday morning to enhance the monitoring of solar storms. These storms are known for creating spectacular auroras, but they can also disrupt communications and pose risks to astronauts in space.

The trio of satellites departed from Kennedy Space Center shortly after sunrise, all aboard the same SpaceX rocket. Their destination is a vantage point in orbit around the sun, situated 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) from Earth, where they will each embark on their individual missions.

The combined value of the satellites from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including associated expenses, amounts to approximately $1.6 billion. NASA’s Joe Westlake described the collaboration as “the ultimate cosmic carpool,” utilizing a shared rocket to cut costs.

Leading the mission is NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, which was the first satellite deployed. This probe will focus on examining the boundaries of the heliosphere, a protective bubble of solar wind-driven gas encircling our solar system.

IMAP offers an additional benefit by being capable of offering early warnings about solar storms, providing a valuable 30-minute alert, especially useful for astronauts engaging in lunar exploration under NASA’s Artemis program. The observatory is expected to be fully operational by the time four astronauts complete a trip around the moon next year.

Additionally, NASA’s smaller satellite, the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, is part of this mission. It will investigate Earth’s outermost glowing atmosphere, which extends beyond the moon. This observatory is named in honor of the late scientist George Carruthers, the inventor of the ultraviolet telescope left on the moon by Apollo 16 astronauts in 1972.

NOAA’s newest space weather observatory will be pushed into full-time, around-the-clock forecasting service. It will keep tab on the sun’s activity and measure the solar wind to help keep Earth safe from threatening flares.

Officials expect NASA’s satellites to be in position and operational by the beginning of next year, and NOAA’s spacecraft by spring.

NASA is kicking in more than $879 million for its two missions, while NOAA’s share is $693 million.

While NASA already has a fleet of sun-observing spacecraft, science mission chief Nicky Fox said these newer missions offer more advanced instruments that will provide more sensitive measurements.

“Just being able to put all those together to give us a much, much better view of the sun,” she said.

The goal is to better understand the sun in order to better protect Earth, according to officials. As spectacular as they are, the northern and southern lights will not be the missions’ focus.

During a preview of NASA’s upcoming Artemis mission around the moon, science officials said Tuesday that these new space weather missions will enhance forecasting and provide vital alerts if major solar activity strikes. If that happens, the four astronauts will take temporary shelter in a storage area under the capsule’s floor to avoid the heightened radiation levels.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.