NASA Launches Sun Watching Satellite into Space

NASA is planning to learn a bit more about our sun. The space agency has announced that it's launching a satellite in order to study just how our closest star's atmosphere is energized. This could lead to a better understanding of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and other solar-related phenomena.

The satellite itself is called the Interface Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) spacecraft. Launched on Thursday at 7:27 p.m. PDT, the satellite will observe how solar material moves. More specifically, it will watch how the material gathers energy and heats up as it travels through a little-understood region in the sun's lower atmosphere. This interface region between the sun's photosphere and corona power the star's dynamic million-degree atmosphere and drives the solar wind. This region is also where most of the sun's ultraviolet emission is generation, which can impact the near-Earth space environment and our planet's climate.

"We are thrilled to add IRIS to the suite of NASA missions studying the sun," said John Grunsfeld, NASA's associated administrator for science, in a news release. "IRIS will help scientists understand the mysterious and energetic interface between the surface and corona of the sun."

The mission doesn't come too soon, either. The sun's 11-year cycle is heating up as the star spews solar flares and the CMEs associated with them. In May, for example, our sun flung four X-class solar flares in only 48 hours. Measured in stages, solar flares are classed as A, B, C, and M. The strongest are known as X-class flares and can pose a risk to astronauts and satellites in orbit when aimed directly at Earth. Learning more about the sun with this satellite is crucial for better understand this type of space weather.

IRIS won't begin observations right away, though. First it will have a 30-day engineering checkout followed by a 30-day science checkout and calibration period. This will make sure the satellite is functioning properly. After this phase, though, the satellite will finally begin to start its work.

Want to learn more about the IRIS mission? Check it out here.