NASA's EZIE Mission Launches to Study Auroral Electrojets (March 14, California)

NASA's EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) mission launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 11:43 p.m. PDT on March 14. The mission consists of three small satellites that will fly in a "pearls-on-a-string" configuration, orbiting 260 to 370 miles above Earth. Their primary objective is to map auroral electrojets, powerful electric currents in the upper atmosphere of polar regions where auroras occur. The satellites were successfully deployed around 2 a.m. PDT on March 15 and will spend the next 10 days verifying their health before beginning their 18-month mission. The EZIE mission aims to enhance the understanding of how Earth interacts with space and to improve space weather prediction models. The mission team is also distributing magnetometer kits (EZIE-Mag) for educational purposes, allowing enthusiasts to contribute to the study of Earth's electrical current system.