Carruthers Geocorona Observatory

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Carruthers Geocorona Observatory
Carruthers Geocorona Observatory Images (SVS14830 - 24-22101-Carruthers SpaceVehicleComplete-Edited).jpg
A BAE systems technician inspecting the fully assembled Carruthers Geocorona Observatory
Mission type Space weather
Operator NASA
Start of mission
Launch date23 September 2025 (planned)
Rocket Falcon 9 Block 5
Launch site Kennedy, LC-39A
Contractor SpaceX
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric orbit
Regime L1

The Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, previously called Global Lyman-alpha Imagers of the Dynamic Exosphere (GLIDE) is a NASA mission led by the University of Illinois, which will survey ultraviolet light emitted by Earth's outermost atmospheric layer, the exosphere. [1] [2]

The mission name was given to honour Dr. George R. Carruthers, a pioneer American space physicist, engineer and investor. He is widely recognised for his groundbreaking contributions to ultraviolet astronomy. His most famous invention was the Far Ultraviolet Camera/Spectrograph, [3] a compact but powerful telescope that was placed by the astronauts of Apollo 16 on the Moon in 1972. [4]

Launch

Carruthers Geocorona Observatory is planned to be launched as a secondary payload on the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle carrying NASA's Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) spacecraft. [5] [6] As of December 2024, the launch is scheduled for no earlier than September 2025.

References

  1. "GLIDE (Carruthers Geocorona Observatory)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  2. "NASA Selects Heliophysics Missions of Opportunity for Space Science Research and Technology Demonstration". NASA. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  3. "Looking Back: Dr. George Carruthers and Apollo 16 Far Ultraviolet Camera/Spectrograph". NASA. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  4. "BAE Systems completes integration of NASA's Carruthers Observatory". BAE Systems. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  5. "NASA Selects Proposals to Further Study the Fundamental Nature of Space" (Press release). NASA. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2019.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  6. "NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for IMAP Mission" (Press release). NASA. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .