Editor’s Note: An unexpected aircraft in the airspace has delayed the launch of the TRACERS mission to Wednesday, July 23. The launch window is scheduled for 1:13 p.m. to 2:11 p.m. central time.
The Aurora Borealis might be one of the stunning space phenomena seen from Earth, but why does it happen?
Thanks to the University of Iowa and NASA, the answers may become clearer.
A set of twin satellites launching in tandem called TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) will launch into orbit, Wednesday, July 23, from the Vandenberg Space Force Base aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The mission was initially expected to launch on Tuesday, July 22 but was delayed because an unexpected aircraft was in the airspace.
How to watch the TRACERS mission launch?
In Iowa City, the University of Iowa’s Department of Physics and Astronomy is hosting a live viewing event to celebrate the launch. The viewing is set for 12:30 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 23 in lecture room one at Van Allen Hall.
SpaceX will provide live coverage beginning about 15 minutes before launch on the company’s website and at @SpaceX on X. The launch window is scheduled for 1:13 p.m. to 2:11 p.m. central time.
When is liftoff from California?
SpaceX will serve as the launch service provider for the NASA TRACERS mission, which will blast off from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California.
The initial launch targeted lift off for Tuesday, July 22, due to an unexpected aircraft in the airspace the launch is pushed back to the backup opportunity date for Wednesday, July 23. The launch window opens at 11:13 a.m. PT, according to NASA.
What is the TRACERS Mission?
The TRACERS mission is part of NASA’s Explorers Program, led by David Miles at the University of Iowa with support from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. The TRACERS mission will investigate how energy from the Sun breaks through Earth’s magnetic shield during magnetic reconnection.
During magnetic reconnection, the solar wind can disrupt satellites, GPS signals, and other technologies, and even trigger auroras in the Northern Hemisphere.
The mission will observe where magnetic reconnection happens, helping scientists better understand space weather and its impact on Earth.
“Space Weather has direct effects on the things that are in space, like if you’re a satellite orbiting the Earth, or you’re an astronaut on the space station,” Miles said in a university of Iowa video. “Knowing and predicting that radiation environment is important, but space weather also has effects on the ground.”
What will the TRACERS spacecraft observe?
The spacecrafts, T1 and T2, will follow each other in tandem, observing thousands of reconnection events to detect the process and how it changes and evolves.
Flying at a low-Earth orbit that allows the two spacecrafts to circle Earth quickly, the satellites will travel through the funnel-shaped holes in the magnetic field known as polar cusps that open over the north and south poles.
What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base?
The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California.
Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Although it’s a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities such as NASA and SpaceX.
(This article has been updated to add new information.)
USA TODAY Network reporter Eric Lagatta contributed to this article.
Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: How to watch the Space X launch of the University of Iowa and NASA-backed TRACERS mission
Reporting by Jessica Rish, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
