NASA’s latest space weather mission, PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere), has gone online, providing a major leap forward in monitoring and predicting solar activity. Launched on March 11, 2025, alongside NASA’s SPHEREx observatory, PUNCH is now fully operational.
The four-satellite network will capture real-time data to help scientists understand and predict space weather events that can disrupt satellites, power grids, and even threaten astronaut safety. This mission, led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), aims to improve forecasting models and mitigate potential disasters caused by space weather.
By tracking solar wind patterns in real-time, PUNCH will provide a more detailed view of how solar activity propagates through space. The mission will also track coronal mass ejections (CMEs) to give crucial warnings to protect satellites, power grids, and space missions.
PUNCH’s data will be made publicly available in real-time, allowing scientists, space agencies, and amateur astronomers to access up-to-the-minute information about solar activity. This capability is a significant improvement over previous space weather missions, which primarily focused on point observations of the Sun.
Source: https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/03/nasas-new-space-weather-mission-goes-live