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TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites)

  • NASA’s TRACERS First Results Offers Peek into Violent Magnetic Process 

    This high-contrast orbital photograph captures a spacecraft floating against the jet-black background of outer space. At the center of the frame is the main body of a satellite, appearing as a compact, somewhat reddish structure flanked by bright white reflective panels and a circular central dish. Extending diagonally outward from this core in an asymmetric, cross-like shape are four long, thin metallic booms, or antennas, that glow faintly under sunlight. A vertical white measurement scale stands on the left side with date and distance information above the scale, a stylized white corporate logo reading Vantor sits in the upper right, and a circular data tracking gauge with multicolored vector lines sits in the bottom right corner.

    NASA’s TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) mission has gathered its first clues to how space weather affects Earth’s magnetic field. In a new paper, researchers break down how these interactions work after analyzing initial observations from the first year of the mission. The two TRACERS spacecraft launched last year to explore how […]

  • NASA’s TRACERS Spacecraft Begin Preliminary Science Data Collection

    Two black satelittes over a dark blue background that represents Earth's atmosphere. Yellow lines are streaking around the satellites, representing solar wind entering Earth's atmosphere.

    NASA’s TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) mission has started collecting preliminary science data, including tandem measurements that are key to the mission’s science goals. One of the two satellites, Space Vehicle 2, completed commissioning and is fully operational. The other satellite, Space Vehicle 1, is also operating with some limitations following an issue earlier this […]

  • NASA’s TRACERS Continues Recovery Efforts for One Satellite 

    Image shows a satellite move away from a silver metallic payload with the Earth in the background

    Teams for NASA’s TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) mission, which launched on July 23, are continuing recovery efforts for one satellite, called Space Vehicle 1 (SV1). The other satellite, called Space Vehicle 2 (SV2), remains in good health and has started the commissioning process.  An issue with the power subsystem on July 25 resulted in […]

  • NASA Assessing One of Two Satellites Set to Study Magnetic Reconnection

    An artist's concept showing TRACERS above Earth. TRACERS is twin satellites, both gray and octagonal, with four poles sticking outward horizontally.

    After launch of NASA’s TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) mission on July 23, the team successfully achieved telemetry lock and command functions with each of the two satellites. During the commissioning process, the team made routine adjustments to the power subsystem on both vehicles. While the adjustments achieved the desired results on […]

  • NASA’s TRACERS Mission Launches to Study Earth’s Magnetic Shield

    An illustration showing the 2 TRACERS spacecraft. Filling the bottom half of the landscape image is a cloudy Earth. Behind Earth, the bright Sun is peaking out, filling the dark expanse of space with streaks of white light. The two spacecraft orbit above Earth, large hexagonal cylinders with long poles sticking out horizontally in 4 directions.

    NASA’s newest mission, TRACERS, soon will begin studying how Earth’s magnetic shield protects our planet from the effects of space weather. Short for Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites, the twin TRACERS spacecraft lifted off at 11:13 a.m. PDT (2:13 p.m. EDT) Wednesday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 […]

  • NASA’s TRACERS Mission in Orbit 

    Image shows a satellite move away from a silver metallic payload with the Earth in the background

    NASA’s TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) twin satellites are in orbit after the spacecraft launched at 11:13 a.m. PDT (2:13 p.m. EDT) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Station in California as part of a commercial rideshare mission with several other payloads. […]

  • NASA, Partners Payloads Separate From Falcon 9 Second Stage

    Image shows a silver metallic CubeSat releasing from a silver payload in orbit.

    NASA-funded payloads, PExT (Polylingual Experimental Terminal) technology demonstration, and the REAL (Relativistic Electron Atmospheric Loss) CubeSat deployed around 55 minutes following launch of NASA’s TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) mission.  The first of the twin TRACERS satellites is preparing to deploy in about 40 minutes, followed by the second approximately six minutes […]

  • NASA’s TRACERS Mission Launch Takes Flight 

    Image shows a rocket launch in California

    A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off with NASA’s TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base California at 11:13 a.m. PDT (2:13 p.m. EDT) today.  Also launching on this flight will be three additional NASA-funded payloads: the Athena EPIC (Economical Payload Integration Cost) […]