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AWE

Atmospheric Waves Experiment

Active Mission

In November 2023, AWE was installed on the exterior of the International Space Station. From its space station perch, AWE is studying colorful bands of light in Earth’s atmosphere, called airglow.

Type

Experiment

Launch

Nov. 9, 2023

Location

International Space Station

Objective

Study airglow

The Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) is attached to the exterior of the Earth-orbiting International Space Station. From its space station perch, AWE focuses on colorful bands of light in Earth’s atmosphere, called airglow, to determine what combination of forces drive space weather in the upper atmosphere.

Media Resources

NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment, or AWE, payload is shown in this May 26, 2023, photo at Space Dynamics Laboratory facilities on Utah State University’s Innovation Campus with its red remove-before-flight covers installed.

AWE SVS Gallery

Animations, videos, images and more related to AWE are available on NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.

Against the outline of the southeastern United States, a circular shape moves from the center of the view (around Tennessee) to the southeast toward Florida. Inside the circular shape are bands of blues, yellows, and reds that change as the circle moves.

AWE Imagery

Images of Hurricane Helene's gravity waves are available on NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.

Above Earth, the International Space Station orbits. From one area toward the middle of the station, a transparent cone highlights a rainbow stripe of Earth's atmosphere.

USU SDL's AWE Website

Learn more about AWE with Utah State University's Space Dynamics Laboratory

AWE Stories

Explore All Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) Stories

Hurricane Helene’s Gravity Waves Revealed by NASA’s AWE

Atmospheric Waves

AWE’s “First Light” Images Received

AWE Successfully Installed on Space Station, Sending Down Data

New Principal Investigator to Lead NASA’s AWE Mission

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