NASA will launch the satellite into orbit from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on Tuesday.
Updated: Jun 24, 2024 03:38 AM EST
CU Boulder’s Ralphie logo emblazons all four EXIS instruments.
A small fleet of scientific instruments designed to provide early warning signs of solar flares is set to be launched on Tuesday, June 25.
The sun unleashes giant bursts of energy called solar flares, which can impact Earth in serious ways.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have built a suite of instruments called Extreme Ultraviolet and X-ray Irradiance Sensors (EXIS) that act as a first line of defense against solar flares. Interestingly, these instruments can spot solar flares before any other instrument in space and send detection data to Earth in seconds.
![](https://cms.interestingengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/like-babies-in-a-nursery_14218810817_o.jpeg)
Equipped with two sensors
EXIS looks a bit like a toaster oven, but it is packed with powerful technology. It has two sensors named X-Ray Sensor (XRS) and Extreme Ultraviolet Sensor (EUVS).
The XRS sensor detects X-ray energy from the sun and can detect the first signs of a solar flare. These powerful eruptions unleash a torrent of charged particles that race towards Earth. While some might create breathtaking auroras, others pose a serious threat. These fast-moving, energetic particles can damage electronics and even endanger astronauts in orbit.
On the other hand, the EUVS sensor monitors fluctuations in the sun’s activity that may influence the Earth’s atmosphere.
As per the press release, these fluctuations can “cause Earth’s atmosphere to inflate and deflate, as if the entire planet is breathing. If the atmosphere inflates too much, it can drag down satellites in orbit.”
Researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will evaluate data from both EXIS sensors and send real-time alerts to satellite operators and space agencies throughout the world to ensure safe navigation through space weather risks.
This early warning is particularly important as Solar Cycle 25 is still peaking with intense activity predicted around the summer of 2025.
The first week of May saw an onslaught of solar fury. Large flares and explosions erupted from the sun, unleashing a storm of charged particles on Earth.
According to NASA, the resultant storm was the biggest in two decades and “possibly one of the strongest displays of auroras on record in the past 500 years.” This caused a widespread display of solar storms in the United States, and some other parts of the planet.
![](https://cms.interestingengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/exis_installation.jpeg)
Launch tomorrow
The EXIS instrument is equipped with NOAA’s GOES-U satellite. NASA will launch the satellite into orbit from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket tomorrow.
GOES stands for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite. GOES-U is the newest satellite of the GOES-R series, which monitors Earth’s weather from orbit.
The successful launch will be a major step forward to expand monitoring and understanding of space weather.
Moreover, the launch of EXIS will mark the completion of a powerful GOES team. Three identical EXIS instruments are already operational, each keeping watch from its own GOES-R satellite observatory.
GOES satellites don’t zip around Earth like some. They hold a special position in space called a “geostationary orbit,” hovering over 22,000 miles above the equator. This vantage point is great for monitoring weather, but it comes with a downside: intense radiation exposure.
“If we want to understand these things that can affect our technology and safety on Earth, we need to look at the source, and that’s the sun,” said Frank Eparvier, associate director for science at CU Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) and lead scientist for EXIS, in the press release.
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