In a bold stride toward unlocking the mysteries of our solar system’s protective shield, NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission is set to launch no earlier than September 2025. But this isn’t just a NASA endeavor—it’s a global symphony of science, powered by 27 institutions across six countries.
At the heart of IMAP lies a quest to answer two profound questions in heliophysics:
- How are particles energized in space?
- How does the solar wind interact with the interstellar medium—the galactic material enveloping our solar system?
To tackle these, IMAP will deploy 10 advanced instruments aboard a spacecraft built and managed by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Among the standout contributions is the MAG magnetometer, designed at Imperial College London under a NASA–UK Space Agency agreement. Mounted on a deployable boom, MAG will measure interplanetary magnetic fields, helping scientists decode the waves and turbulence that scatter charged particles.
Other international highlights include:
- GLOWS, a solar wind structure instrument from Poland’s Space Research Centre (CBK PAN)—marking Poland’s first full contribution to a NASA mission
- Technical support from Germany’s University of Bochum
- Instrumental calibration and design input from Switzerland’s University of Bern
- Post-launch science support from the University of Central Lancashire in the UK
Dr. David J. McComas, IMAP’s Principal Investigator and Princeton professor, emphasizes the mission’s collaborative spirit:
“International collaboration makes our mission stronger. The depth of technical know-how and shared commitment is extraordinary.”
IMAP’s journey is not just about space—it’s about how global cooperation can illuminate the very forces that make life on Earth possible.