Photo credit: www.nasa.gov

NASA’s PUNCH Mission Progresses with Solar Array Testing

Technicians working on NASA’s Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission have successfully deployed and tested the spacecraft’s solar arrays at the Astrotech Space Operations facility located within Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This significant step is crucial as the mission prepares for its launch scheduled for next month.

The solar arrays are vital for supplying power to the various instruments and systems onboard the spacecraft. This recent testing marks a pivotal milestone in readying PUNCH to embark on its scientific journey to explore the Sun’s outer atmosphere during the transition into the solar wind. Technicians conducted the solar array tests in a meticulously controlled cleanroom environment to mitigate contamination risks and safeguard the delicate equipment.

PUNCH consists of a constellation of four satellites, each roughly the size of a suitcase, that will work in unison. The mission is designed to capture continuous three-dimensional imagery of the Sun’s corona, alongside tracking the movement of solar wind as it travels throughout the solar system. Managed by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) for NASA, this mission aspires to enhance our understanding of solar phenomena and their implications for Earth-based technologies, as well as our broader space exploration endeavors.

The successful deployment and testing of the solar arrays signify that the spacecraft is progressing toward its launch readiness. The PUNCH mission is set to lift off alongside NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The targeted launch date is no earlier than Thursday, February 27, from Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex 4E.

Image credit: USSF 30th Space Wing/Antonio Ramos

Source
www.nasa.gov