Understand the fundamental physical processes of the complex space environment throughout the Solar System, which includes the flow of energy and charged material, known as plasma, as well as a dynamic system of magnetic and electric fields.
Understand how human society, technological systems, and the habitability of planets are affected by solar variability and planetary magnetic fields.
Develop the capability to predict the extreme and dynamic conditions in space in order to maximize the safety and productivity of human and robotic explorers.
Hinode, an ongoing collaboration with JAXA, is a mission to explore the magnetic fields of the Sun.[4] It was launched on the final flight of the M-V-7 rocket from Uchinoura Space Center, Japan on September 22, 2006.
STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) is a solar observation mission.[5] It consists in two nearly identical spacecraft, launched on October 26, 2006.
The Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) is a mission to study the Earth's magnetosphere, using four identical spacecraft flying in a tetrahedral formation.[6] The spacecraft were launched on March 13, 2015.
IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) is a heliosphere observation mission. Planned for launch in 2025, it will sample, analyze, and map particles streaming to Earth from the edges of interstellar space.[7]
