NASA announced they have selected the proposed Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) mission to study how the Sun creates and releases Giant Solar Particle Storms. This mission will further aid scientists to understand how the Solar System works. It will also help protect future astronauts from Solar Storms while going to the Moon or Mars.<\/p>\n
The SunRise mission was one of two missions chosen by NASA in August of 2017, for the Mission of Opportunity program as apart of the Explorers Program, to conduct an 11-month concept study. And in February of 2019, NASA approved an extra year of formulation study for the program. It was awarded in March of 2020, $62.6 million to design, build, and launch the SunRISE mission. It has a NET launch date of July 1, 2023.<\/p>\n
The mission is led by Justin Kasper at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It is also managed by NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are so pleased to add a new mission to our fleet of spacecraft that help us better understand the Sun, as well as how our star influences the space environment between planets,\u201d said Nicky Fox, director of NASA\u2019s Heliophysics Division. \u201cThe more we know about how the Sun erupts with space weather events, the more we can mitigate their effects on spacecraft and astronauts.\u201d<\/p>\n