Suggested Searches

Blogs

    NASA Science Live Event to Discuss Newly Launched EZIE Mission

    At 3 p.m. EDT on Monday, March 24, hear from experts and ask your questions about NASA’s newly launched EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) mission to investigate auroral electrojets, intense electrical currents that flow through our upper atmosphere in the polar regions where auroras glow in the sky. The EZIE trio of spacecraft launched March …

    Read Full Post

    Parker Solar Probe Primed for Next Close Solar Approach

    NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is zooming through its 23rd science-gathering solar encounter, heading toward a close approach of the Sun on Saturday, March 22, that matches its record distance of 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) from the solar surface. The spacecraft will also equal its record-setting flyby speed of 430,000 miles per hour (692,000 …

    Read Full Post

    NASA’s EZIE Satellites Healthy, Operating Normally

    Three identical small satellites appear in a line above the north polar region of Earth. The satellites appear along a blue line that traces their polar orbit around Earth. A green shaded region appears over Earth's north polar region.

    Mission controllers for NASA’s EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) mission have received signals from the mission’s three satellites confirming that they are in good health and operating as expected. The EZIE spacecraft launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base on March 15 EDT (March 14 PDT). Over the next two …

    Read Full Post

    NASA’s Recently Launched SPHEREx Ejects Dust Cover From Telescope

    The telescope on NASA's SPHEREx observatory

    NASA’s SPHEREx space observatory, which launched into low Earth orbit on March 11, has opened its eyes to the sky. On March 18, the mission team commanded the spacecraft to eject the protective dust cover that shielded the telescope opening. Once science operations begin several weeks from now, SPHEREx (short for Specto-Photometer for the …

    Read Full Post

    NASA’s EZIE Mission Successfully Launched, Deployed

    At 11:43 p.m. PDT on March 14, 2025, NASA’s EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) mission lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. At approximately 2 a.m. PDT on March 15, the EZIE satellites were successfully deployed. Within the next 10 days, the spacecraft will send signals to the ground to verify they are …

    Read Full Post

    Liftoff of NASA’s EZIE Mission

    A rocket lifts off from a launch pad at night

    NASA’s EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 11:43 p.m. PDT on March 14 (2:43 a.m. EDT on March 15). The mission is being carried to orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 as part of the Transporter-13 rideshare mission with SpaceX via launch integrator Maverick Space Systems. In the next …

    Read Full Post

    Watch the Launch of NASA’s EZIE Mission

    A small, rectangular satellite with two large solar arrays appears in Earth orbit above green-colored auroras. Four yellow-colored beams extend downward from the spacecraft toward the auroras.

    NASA’s EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) mission is poised to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The 17-minute launch window opens at 2:39 a.m. EDT on March 15 (11:39 p.m. PDT on March 14). Follow live launch coverage from SpaceX starting about 15 minutes prior to liftoff, …

    Read Full Post

    Things to Know About NASA’s EZIE Mission

    This conceptual illustration shows the three EZIE small satellite missions flying in formation above a beautiful aurora on Earth.

    NASA’s EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) is the first mission dedicated to studying auroral electrojets. These intense electrical currents flow in Earth’s upper atmosphere in both the northern and southern polar regions and are associated with the spectacular auroras (commonly known as the northern and southern lights). The EZIE mission uses three CubeSats. Each of …

    Read Full Post

    ICESat-2’s Laser Fires 2 Trillionth Shot, Spots Clouds

    A data visualization with a bright blue background and dots, representing height measurements taken by ICESat-2. A vertical green line marks the satellite's 2 trillionth laser pulse. An inset map of Antarctica shows a green line from the interior of the continent, through a spot labeled Vanderford Glacier, and out into the southern ocean, locating data shown on the larger plot.

    Happy 2,000,000,000,000th, ICESat-2! NASA’s Earth-observing laser in orbit passed a milestone on March 9 at 12:51 p.m. EDT — 16:51:00.268 UTC, to be precise — as its laser instrument fired for the 2 trillionth time and measured clouds off the coast of East Antarctica. ICESat-2’s instrument, the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), uses rapid …

    Read Full Post

    NASA’s EZIE Spacecraft Scheduled for Launch

    Artist concept of 3 spacecraft above the green surface of the sun with lines depicting scanning activity

    NASA’s EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) spacecraft are scheduled to launch as part of the Transporter-13 rideshare mission with SpaceX via launch integrator Maverick Space Systems at 2:39 a.m. EDT on Saturday, March 15 (11:39 p.m. PDT on Friday, March 14).

    Read Full Post