NASA has moved forward in its efforts towards improving our understanding of space weather by selecting two heliophysics mission concepts for continued development
This decision supports NASA’s long-term goal of better predicting solar and geomagnetic activity that can affect satellites, astronauts, and technology on Earth.
The selections were made by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate Science Management Council under the Heliophysics Explorers Program, which supports focused, cost-effective missions led by principal investigators from the research community.
CINEMA mission moves towards flight design
The Cross-scale Investigation of Earth’s Magnetotail and Aurora, known as CINEMA, has been selected to advance into Phase B of development. This phase includes detailed planning and design for flight hardware and mission operations, bringing the mission concept significantly closer to launch.
CINEMA is designed to study how energy from the solar wind flows into Earth’s magnetosphere, the vast magnetic bubble that surrounds the planet. This flow can behave unpredictably, sometimes remaining steady and other times erupting explosively.
These variations can drive fast plasma jets, large-scale electrical currents, and vivid auroral displays, while also posing risks to satellites and ground-based systems.
The mission will consist of a constellation of nine small satellites flying in a polar low Earth orbit. Each spacecraft will carry the same set of instruments: an energetic particle detector, an auroral imager, and a magnetometer. By combining particle measurements with images of aurora and local magnetic field data, scientists aim to link invisible energy processes in Earth’s magnetosphere with visible effects in the upper atmosphere.
NASA has allocated approximately $28 million for CINEMA to complete Phase B, which will last 10 months. The total mission cost, excluding launch, is capped at $182.8 million. If the mission continues to meet development milestones, it could launch no earlier than 2030.
CMEx selected for extended concept study
In addition to CINEMA, NASA selected the Chromospheric Magnetism Explorer (CMEx) for an extended Phase A study. This additional concept development phase will allow the mission team to refine the spacecraft and instrument design for possible future selection.
CMEx is a single-spacecraft mission focused on the Sun. Its main objective is to study magnetic fields in the lower layers of the solar chromosphere, a region that plays a critical role in driving solar eruptions and shaping the solar wind.
The mission concept builds on proven ultraviolet spectro-polarimetric instrumentation previously demonstrated during NASA’s CLASP sounding rocket flights. By using this heritage hardware, CMEx aims to reduce technical risk while delivering new insights into how solar magnetic energy is generated and released.
The extended Phase A study will last 12 months and is funded at $2 million.
Strengthening space weather predictions
Both mission concepts emerged from a one-year early concept study conducted in response to NASA’s 2022 small-class Explorer announcement. Together, they reflect NASA’s wider strategy of using targeted, science-driven missions to close key knowledge gaps in helophysics.
If advanced to flight, these missions would contribute to improved forecasting of space weather events that can disrupt communications, navigation systems, and power infrastructure. They would also support safer human exploration by helping to predict hazardous solar and geomagnetic conditions near Earth, the Moon, and Mars.
