Beneath the night time sky in California, NASA’s Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) mission was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 11:43 p.m. PDT on March 14 from Vandenberg House Pressure Base. Three small satellites, designed to review Earth’s auroral electrojets, had been carried into orbit. The deployment of those satellites was confirmed at roughly 2 a.m. PDT on March 15. Over the subsequent ten days, alerts will likely be transmitted to make sure they’re functioning correctly earlier than commencing their 18-month mission.
Mission Goals and Scientific Significance
Based on the mission particulars shared by NASA, EZIE’s satellites will function in a formation often called “pearls-on-a-string,” flying between 260 and 370 miles above Earth. These satellites will map the extreme electrical currents that movement via the higher environment in polar areas. These currents, linked to photo voltaic storms, affect auroras and Earth’s magnetic subject. The examine goals to enhance understanding of area climate and its results on know-how, together with satellite tv for pc operations and communication methods.
Talking to NASA, Jared Leisner, Program Government for EZIE, said that small-scale missions like EZIE are being prioritised for his or her scientific worth regardless of their inherent dangers. The information collected will contribute to analysis not solely about Earth but additionally about magnetic interactions on different planets.
Distinctive Method to Orbit Management
As a substitute of conventional propulsion strategies, EZIE satellites will utilise atmospheric drag to regulate their positions. As reported by NASA’s Goddard House Flight Middle, Larry Kepko, EZIE’s mission scientist, defined that earlier research have centered on both massive or small-scale observations of those currents. EZIE’s strategy will present new insights into their formation and evolution.
Public Engagement and Instructional Outreach
To develop public participation, magnetometer kits often called EZIE-Magazine are being distributed to college students and science fans. Knowledge collected from these kits will likely be built-in with EZIE’s space-based measurements to supply a extra detailed understanding of Earth’s electrical currents.
The mission is managed by the Explorers Program Workplace at NASA’s Goddard House Flight Middle and funded by NASA’s Heliophysics Division. The Johns Hopkins Utilized Physics Laboratory leads the undertaking, with CubeSats developed by Blue Canyon Applied sciences and magnetometers constructed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
