NASA’s upcoming TRACERS mission includes two satellites designed to study the interaction between the solar wind and Earth’s magnetosphere through the lens of magnetic reconnection.

This phenomenon is crucial to understanding space weather, which affects modern technology and communications systems. Satellites built by Millennium Space Systems will soon undergo testing ahead of launch in 2025, marking a significant advance in our quest to protect technology from the effects of space weather.

VIEWERS mission

NASA recently completed twin spacecraft for the TRACERS mission, formally known as the Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamic Reconnaissance Satellites, scheduled for launch in 2025.

TRACERS consists of two satellites designed to study the interaction between the solar wind (the continuous flow of ionized particles emitted by the Sun) and Earth’s magnetosphere (the magnetic field that surrounds and protects our planet). This mission will investigate how the Sun affects Earth’s environment and shed light on the causes of space weather that can affect technology and communications on Earth.

Magnetic reconnection study

One of the main topics of TRACERS is the phenomenon of magnetic reconnection, the powerful release of energy that occurs when two magnetic fields intersect.

Magnetic reconnection occurs all over space, but of particular importance to us is where the solar wind first meets Earth’s magnetosphere, a region known as the magnetopause. A reconnection event could eject solar wind particles that normally orbit our planet directly into our atmosphere at high speeds. These particles fuel the beautiful northern and southern lights known as aurora borealis and contribute to changes in Earth’s space weather. Understanding space weather patterns is of great importance in our increasingly technologically advanced society, as space weather events can impact our power grids and communications satellites and create potentially hazardous conditions for astronauts.

Satellite configuration and mission strategy

To study magnetic reconnection in Earth’s magnetopause, twin TRACERS satellites will fly in tandem over the poleward, the funnel-shaped region where Earth’s magnetic field opens into the north and south poles. This will allow scientists to observe how quickly reconnection is changing and evolving by comparing data collected by each satellite.

Millennium Space Systems, a Boeing company, completed construction of two satellites for the TRACERS mission in October 2024. The team is completing the integration of the TRACERS instruments and the two satellites will enter the testing phase. After the tests, the spacecraft will be sent to Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for integration with the launch vehicle.

Progress and preparation for launch

“It is exciting to see how the TRACERS instruments and the two spacecraft come together. The team is making great progress toward launch,” said TRACERS principal investigator David Miles of the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

Additionally, on August 8, 2024, the mission successfully passed a critical test called Key Decision Point D, preparing TRACERS to meet the target launch readiness date of no earlier than April 2025. Following successful validation, TRACERS entered Phase D, the formal transition from mission development to spacecraft delivery, testing, assembly, and integration into a launch vehicle in preparation for launch.

Teamwork and success

“This team was truly incredible,” says Skyler Kleinschmidt, TRACERS program manager at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Building a spaceship is never easy, but it is inspiring to watch the team work together to overcome all the challenges they face.

The TRACERS mission is led by David Miles of the University of Iowa and managed by the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. NASA’s Heliophysics Research Office at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the project in the agency’s Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.