A new federal satellite positioned one million miles from Earth has begun its mission to track dangerous space weather that could threaten power grids, communication systems, and space missions.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space weather Observations at L1 to Advance Readiness – 1 (SOLAR-1) observatory has officially started operational service, representing a significant achievement for protecting the country against solar storm impacts. This marks the first American satellite built specifically for round-the-clock operational monitoring of space weather conditions.
“SOLAR-1 will provide improved observations and high-quality 24/7 data about our sun,” said Irene Parker, acting assistant administrator for NOAA Satellite & Information Service (NESDIS). “SOLAR-1 continues the observations necessary to ensure that we are prepared for solar storms, so we can better protect the nation’s critical terrestrial and space-based infrastructure and future crewed space-flights.”
Cross-Country Journey Through Space
The satellite, originally called Space Weather Follow On – Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1), lifted off on September 24, 2025 at 7:30 a.m. EST from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. During the following four months, the spacecraft traveled almost one million miles to reach the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1 (L1), where it now remains stationed to continuously track solar wind and watch for coronal mass ejections (CME) released by the sun.
Prior to achieving initial operational status, SOLAR-1 completed an intensive eight-month period of post-launch testing and commissioning. Throughout this phase, NOAA and NASA teams carefully examined every instrument and all primary systems, including power, onboard computer, propulsion and attitude-control systems, communications and data storage.
Boosting National Preparedness
SOLAR-1 enhances the country’s capability to protect systems vulnerable to space weather disruption, including electrical grids, satellites, communications, aviation, navigation systems like GPS, national security operations, and human spaceflight missions such as NASA’s recently-completed Artemis II mission.
For NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, SOLAR-1 serves as a foundation of the nation’s space weather early warning network, supplying the observations required to issue prompt watches, warnings, alerts, and decision support before solar storms affect critical infrastructure and missions.
“It means more time to act,” said Clinton Wallace, director of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. “It gives time for power grid operators to prepare, more time for satellite operators to protect assets, more time for aviation and national security partners to understand risk, and more time for human spaceflight teams to protect astronauts and missions. SOLAR-1 helps turn observations of the sun into practical decisions that protect lives, infrastructure, the economy and national security.”
As dependence on space-based systems increases and space exploration grows through missions like NASA’s Artemis, continued investment in operational space weather capabilities becomes increasingly essential to national preparedness, astronaut safety and space asset protection.
SOLAR-1 will guarantee uninterrupted space weather monitoring at L1, continuously transmitting data to Earth without breaks or obstructions, providing enhanced performance compared to older instruments and faster delivery of observations to NOAA’s SWPC.
As an example, SOLAR-1’s coronagraph will transmit CME imagery to SWPC forecasters and users within 30 minutes of capture in space, compared to research observatories and instruments, such as ESA-NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory’s coronagraph imaging, which can require up to eight hours. Real-time data from SOLAR-1’s Solar Wind Plasma Sensor, SupraThermal Ion Sensor, and Magnetometer will be accessible within five minutes.
SOLAR-1, along with future planned satellite missions for L1, are essential for minimizing operational observation risks when collecting data and information that helps society stay ahead of threats to the nation’s critical infrastructure. SOLAR-1 data will be accessible to the public in real time through the SWPC website and stored through the NESDIS Space Weather Portal.
