A new NASA mission has launched today carrying an Imperial-built instrument which will measure magnetic fields in space.
NASA's Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), which will help scientists better understand the protective magnetic bubble surrounding our solar system, successfully lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday 24 September.
IMAP will act like a weather station in space, studying the solar wind – streams of charged particles that constantly blow out from the Sun – mapping the shape of the magnetic bubble that surrounds our solar system.
It will be positioned approximately one million miles away from Earth but will be able to send data back from space within five minutes.
"We were delighted to contribute to the IMAP mission, and with UK Space Agency support, we designed, built, and delivered our instrument in just three years, a testament to the expertise of our outstanding engineering team at Imperial." Professor Tim Horbury Science Lead of the IMAP magnetometer at Imperial
The mission will study magnetic field lines with the MAG instrument, a highly sensitive magnetometer developed by Imperial researchers, led by Professor Tim Horbury, with £4.2 million funding from the UK Space Agency. MAG will measure the strength and direction of magnetic fields in space, providing crucial data to improve our understanding of space weather.
Space weather can disrupt satellites, GPS signals, and power grids on Earth, as well as pose risks to astronauts. IMAP will deliver real-time monitoring of these hazards, strengthening global resilience and supporting safer human exploration of the Moon, Mars and beyond.
The Imperial team's work on IMAP was carried out in collaboration with colleagues at Princeton University, led by Professor David McComas, alongside work in the UK with Professor Silvia Dalla at the University of Lancashire.
Professor Tim Horbury, Science Lead of the IMAP magnetometer in Imperial College London's Department of Physics, said: "We were delighted to contribute to the IMAP mission, and with UK Space Agency support, we designed, built, and delivered our instrument in just three years, a testament to the expertise of our outstanding engineering team at Imperial.
"Our magnetic field instrument will help us understand how particles are accelerated at shock waves and travel through the solar system.
"I'm especially excited that our data will be made public within minutes of being measured over a million miles away, supporting real-time space weather forecasts. It's a great example of how scientific measurements can positively impact society."
The launch was celebrated from Imperial's South Kensington Campus on Tuesday, where Imperial staff and students were able to watch a NASA livestream of liftoff and learn more about the project and the team of researchers behind it.
Professor Mary Ryan, Imperial's Vice Provost (Research and Enterprise), said: "The use of Imperial's magnetometers for this historic IMAP mission demonstrates our world-class expertise and reputation in space science.
"The incredibly sensitive instruments developed by our physicists and engineers will enhance our ability to predict solar wind and other space weather phenomena. This will help protect critical infrastructure such as satellites and telecommunications networks, which are essential to our increasingly connected world.
"The use of Imperial's magnetometers for this historic IMAP mission demonstrates our world-class expertise and reputation in space science." Professor Mary Ryan Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise)
"This is exactly the kind of vital research our newly established School of Convergence Science in Space, Security and Telecoms is designed to support. We are working to foster innovation that builds a more connected, secure, and resilient future."
Following its launch, IMAP will spend around 3-4 months in transit before reaching its final orbit around the Sun about one million miles from Earth. It will then study how solar wind and cosmic particles interact with the heliosphere – a vast region that shields our planet and neighbouring worlds from harmful cosmic radiation.
International collaboration
IMAP is a US-led international mission, coordinated by NASA with contributions from 27 institutions across six countries. The UK's leadership in developing MAG reflects the country's reputation for excellence in space science and instrumentation.
This work also builds on the success of Solar Orbiter, a successful European mission led by the European Space Agency which launched in 2020 with Imperial-built equipment on board. NASA selected Imperial as its trusted partner to design and deliver MAG for IMAP, underscoring Imperial and the UK's world-class expertise in magnetometry.
Science and Technology Minister Liz Lloyd said: "The UK is proud to play a leading role in this international mission. Our £4.2 million investment in the magnetometer instrument will help protect the technologies we all depend on – from GPS to power grids – while paving the way for safer human exploration of space.
"The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe mission stands as a great example of how British universities' expertise can help solve global challenges and secure our technological future.
"The groundbreaking Tech Prosperity Deal between the UK and the USA will build further on the partnership between the UK Space Agency and NASA on science and exploration missions."
Building the MAG instrument
Credit: NASA
Real-world impact
In addition to measuring solar wind, IMAP will detect high-energy particles, interstellar dust, and atoms drifting in from beyond the stars. Together, these observations will help us see how our solar system interacts with the wider galaxy.
This knowledge is not just for scientists. Space weather, driven by solar eruptions, can disrupt satellites, knock out GPS, and even cause power cuts on Earth. With IMAP's real-time monitoring, scientists will be able to provide earlier warnings, giving operators more time to protect critical services we rely on every day – from banking transactions to mobile phone networks.
IMAP's findings will also be essential in the future for planning safe human missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. By understanding how radiation and energetic particles move through space, we can better shield astronauts on long journeys, creating opportunities for further space exploration.
Main image credit: BAE Systems
