Space Weather Spacecraft Deploys
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Follow-On Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) spacecraft is now headed to Lagrange point 1 (L1) following separation from the SpaceX Falcon 9 second stage at 9:01 a.m. EDT.
The SWFO-L1 satellite will monitor space weather from L1 and allows for the decommissioning of aging legacy satellites, that are operating beyond intended design life and with limited fuel. The satellite will serve as an early warning beacon, helping provide protection to key assets and industries including the electric power grid, aviation, and satellites from space weather. In just a couple of moments, an acquisition of signal is expected for SWFO-L1.
