NASA is preparing for several major upcoming missions to deepen our understanding of the Sun and its effects on the solar system. Three spacecraft—NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe), the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and NOAA’s SWFO-L1—are scheduled to launch together no earlier than September 23, 2025, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center. These missions will travel to the first Earth-Sun Lagrange point, about one million miles from Earth, to study different aspects of solar wind and space weather and to provide greater insight into how the Sun influences Earth’s habitability and the broader solar environment[1].
The IMAP spacecraft’s individual launch is now targeted by NASA and SpaceX for no earlier than September 2025. IMAP aims to study the Sun’s protective magnetic bubble around the solar system, sampling and mapping particles from the edge of interstellar space, and will help expand knowledge on solar energetic particles and cosmic rays which impact both humans and technology in space[2].
NASA is also advancing preparations for the next commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in partnership with Northrop Grumman and SpaceX. The Cygnus XL spacecraft is scheduled to launch no earlier than 6:11 p.m. EDT, Sunday, September 14, 2025, from Cape Canaveral. It will deliver over 10,000 pounds of science experiments and supplies—including equipment for producing semiconductor and pharmaceutical crystals in microgravity and technology for improving cryogenic fuel tanks—to be installed on the ISS by September 17[3].
On July 23, 2025, NASA successfully launched the TRACERS mission, which is designed to study the effects of magnetic reconnection caused by solar activity disturbing Earth’s magnetic field. Insights from TRACERS will improve understanding and preparedness for space weather events[8].
Additionally, in honor of the Hubble Space Telescope’s 35th year in orbit, NASA has released recent images from Hubble, including views of Mars, star-forming regions, and a nearby galaxy. Other ongoing and future missions include the Lucy spacecraft’s recent flyby of asteroid Donaldjohanson and the planned 2027 launch of the NEO Surveyor, designed to detect asteroids and comets that could threaten Earth[8].
Meanwhile, NASA Wallops Flight Facility is supporting suborbital rocket launch operations between September 5-19, 2025, with launches from Virginia[6].