SpaceX rocket to propel 2 NASA satellites into orbit: What to know about TRACERS mission
Spaceflight missions to deploy internet-beaming Starlink satellites are by far the most common at the Vandenberg Space Force Base. But up next, the commercial spaceflight company founded by billionaire Elon Musk will instead help launch into orbit twin satellites on a scientific mission for the U.S. space agency.
The probes, which are central to NASA's TRACERS mission, will then observe how energy from the sun's atmosphere flows through Earth's magnetosphere – the region around Earth dominated by our planet's magnetic field.
California rocket launches: Why not all Californians are happy that SpaceX rocket launches have increased
As with any launch from Vandenberg, plenty of spots around Southern California should offer a decent view of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket climbing into the sky. But for those who want to know a little bit more about the mission the spacecraft is helping reach orbit, here's everything to know about NASA's TRACERS mission.
What is NASA's TRACERS mission? Twin satellites to study solar activity
Earth's magnetosphere protects our planet from being constantly bombarded by solar wind. Powerful enough to breach the magnetosphere in explosive events known as "magnetic reconnection," solar wind can disrupt satellites, GPS signals and other technologies, and even trigger some stunning auroras in the northern hemisphere.
To better understand the phenomenon, NASA plans to place twin satellites – built by Boeing subsidiary Millennium Space Systems – into a sun-synchronous orbit, meaning they match Earth's rotation around the sun. The spacecraft are designed to follow one another in tandem while observing thousands of reconnection events and how the process changes and evolves.
The mission is known as TRACERS, a lengthy acronym that stands for Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites.
The satellites will fly at a trajectory known as low-Earth orbit – an altitude that allows for things like satellites to circle Earth fairly quickly. In this case, the satellites will travel through the funnel-shaped holes in the magnetic field known as polar cusp that open over the north and south poles.
NASA even plans to combine and compare data from other solar-observing missions, including NASA's PUNCH mission that got off the ground in March.
By observing this process, scientists will be able to learn more about and prepare for technological disruptions on Earth resulting from solar activity, according to NASA.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch NASA TRACERS twin satellites: When is liftoff from California?
SpaceX will serve as the launch service provider for the NASA mission, which will get off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California.
The company, founded by billionaire Elon Musk, will use its two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world's most active, to launch the satellites into orbit.
A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory indicates the launch is being targeted for Tuesday, July 22, with backup opportunities available the following day, if needed. The launch window opens at 11:13 a.m. PT, according to NASA.
What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base?
The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California.
Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it's a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX.
Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force, is responsible for managing the launch operations at Vandenberg, as well as the missile tests that take place at the base.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: What is NASA's TRACERS mission? 2 satellites to launch from Vandenberg
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