NASA has chosen two heliophysics missions for further development. The first mission, called CINEMA (Cross-scale Investigation of Earth’s Magnetotail and Aurora), has been selected to enter Phase B of development, focusing on flight design and mission operations. The goal of the CINEMA mission is to study how plasma energy flows into Earth’s magnetosphere, which drives phenomena like fast plasma jets and auroral displays. This mission, led by Robyn Millan from Dartmouth College, aims to improve predictions of space weather events that can impact humans and technology across the solar system. The CINEMA mission will consist of nine small satellites equipped with instruments such as an energetic particle detector, an auroral imager, and a magnetometer. The mission has received approximately $28 million for Phase B and is expected to launch no earlier than 2030.
The second mission selected by NASA is the proposed CMEx (Chromospheric Magnetism Explorer) mission, which has been chosen for an extended Phase A study. This phase will allow the mission to refine its design and assess its feasibility before moving forward with further development.
Original Source: NASA