NASA's PUNCH Mission to Image Solar Wind, Launching February 2025

Earth is currently experiencing a stream of material from the Sun, known as the solar wind, which is impacting Earth's atmosphere and infrastructure. NASA's PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission, scheduled to launch no earlier than February 28, 2025, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, aims to image the Sun's corona and solar wind. This mission will provide scientists with data on how solar events form and evolve, potentially improving predictions of space weather events. PUNCH consists of four satellites in low Earth orbit, equipped with polarimeters to reconstruct 3D images of the corona and solar wind. The mission will work in conjunction with other NASA missions, including Parker Solar Probe, CODEX, EZIE, and IMAP, to provide a comprehensive view of the Sun's influence on the solar system.