Reviewed by Danielle Ellis, B.Sc.Oct 3 2024
A satellite operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for space weather tracking has been fitted with the Solar Wind Plasma Sensor (SWiPS), developed by the Southwest Research Institute.
SwRI staff prepare the Solar Wind Plasma Sensor (SWiPS) for integration into a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite dedicated to tracking space weather. SWiPS will measure the properties of ions originating from the Sun, including the very fast ions associated with coronal mass ejections that interact with the Earth’s magnetic environment. Image Credit: Southwest Research Institute
SWiPS will measure the properties of ions emitted by the Sun, including the very fast ions associated with coronal mass ejections that interact with the Earth's magnetic field.
NOAA's Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) satellite will orbit the Sun about a million miles from Earth at a location known as L1. The satellite will take remote images of the Sun and local measurements of the solar wind, high-energy particles, and interplanetary magnetic field. SwRI not only created SWiPS but will also support operations and data analysis, with the goal of providing early warning of space weather events.
These phenomena can impact technology such as GPS and power grids, as well as astronaut safety, as astronauts could be subjected to high levels of radiation.
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. 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.
Dr. Robert Ebert, Staff Scientist, Space Science Division, Southwest Research Institute
The SWFO-L1 spacecraft, which is currently undergoing environmental testing, was successfully integrated with SWiPS. NOAA's ability to forecast the intensity of geomagnetic storms will be aided by data from the SWFO-L1 magnetometer, which was also built by SwRI, and measurements of the solar wind's ion velocity, density, and temperature provided by SWiPS.
The SWiPS sensor design is based on the Ion and Electron Sensor flown on ESA’s comet mission, Rosetta. The compact design, low resource requirements, and advanced data production make this instrument optimal for the SWFO-L1 and other similar missions.
Prachet Mokashi, Project Manager, Solar Wind Plasma Sensor, Southwest Research Institute
SwRI’s Space Science Division has long been known for its expertise in designing and manufacturing instruments for measuring space plasma. These dilute ionized gases exist in the immediate space environments of the Earth and other solar system bodies, as well as interplanetary space.
The SWiPS project began shortly after SwRI and other organizations were advised to work primarily from home due to COVID-19.
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.
Michael Fortenberry, System Engineer, Southwest Research Institute
According to NASA, which oversees the NOAA mission, SWFO-L1 is scheduled to launch in 2025 on a SpaceX launch vehicle as a rideshare with the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission. SwRI is also instrumental in that mission by managing the payload and supplying a scientific tool to map and analyze particles streaming from the edge of interstellar space and better understand particle acceleration close to Earth.