NASA/SpaceX IMAP Vertical at LC 39A (Sunrise)

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe), the agency’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Follow On–Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) spacecraft stands vertical at Launch Complex 39A as the sun rises on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s IMAP will use 10 science instruments to study and map the heliosphere, a vast magnetic bubble surrounding the Sun protecting our solar system from radiation incoming from interstellar space. NASA’s IMAP will scan the heliosphere, analyze the composition of charged particles, and investigate how those particles move through the solar system.