NASA Selects New Mission to Unravel Space Weather’s Influence on Earth’s Atmosphere

NASA has announced the selection of a new mission concept, DAPHNE (Dynamic Atmosphere-Ionosphere Explorer), aimed at investigating the intricate relationship between space weather and Earth’s atmosphere. This initiative seeks to enhance our understanding of how changes in the lower atmosphere influence the upper atmosphere and the space environment, ultimately improving predictions of space weather’s impact on critical technologies and human spaceflight. The DAPHNE mission will now proceed into Phase B development, focusing on detailed planning and design for its flight and operational phases.

The DAPHNE mission will deploy two identical satellites designed to provide coordinated measurements. These spacecraft will study how disturbances in Earth’s lower atmosphere propagate and affect the thermosphere and ionosphere, regions where the neutral atmosphere gradually transitions into the ionized plasma of space. This delicate shell surrounding our planet is constantly in flux, influenced by solar activity and dynamics originating from both the lower atmosphere and near-Earth space. By gathering precise data on neutral winds, temperature, and composition in the thermosphere, DAPHNE aims to provide fundamental insights into these processes.

The research conducted by the DAPHNE mission is expected to yield significant advancements in space weather forecasting. By integrating data on energy transfers from the lower atmosphere, scientists anticipate a more comprehensive model for predicting space weather events. This enhanced predictive capability is crucial for protecting essential infrastructure, including GPS systems, low Earth orbit satellites, and for ensuring the safety of astronauts venturing beyond Earth’s protective magnetic field. The mission is led by Aimee Merkel at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

The DAPHNE mission concept emerged from a call for studies under NASA’s DYNAMIC (Dynamical Neutral Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling) program. The mission’s funding and management are overseen by the Solar Terrestrial Probes program at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. A confirmation review is scheduled for 2027 to assess the mission’s progress and financial readiness. If confirmed, the total estimated cost for the mission, excluding launch services, is not anticipated to exceed $250 million. The projected launch date for the DAPHNE mission is no earlier than 2029. This endeavor represents a critical step in NASA’s commitment to advancing space weather readiness and understanding, a pursuit increasingly vital as the agency plans for future human exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from NASA

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