Our Contribution

Studying the Edge of the Heliosphere

NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission, which APL is building in partnership with Principal Investigator David McComas of Princeton University, will explore our solar neighborhood, called the heliosphere — decoding the messages in particles from the Sun and beyond our cosmic shield.

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Related Areas of Impact

Mission Area

The Mission

Princeton University professor David J. McComas leads the mission with an international team of 24 partner institutions. APL builds the spacecraft and one of IMAP’s 10 instruments, IMAP-Ultra. After launch, APL will operate the mission.

APL is performing flight hardware and software development, mission systems engineering, safety and mission assurance, and preparing for spacecraft integration and environmental testing, and mission and science operations post-launch.

Mission Facts

Launch
2025

Principal Investigator
David McComas, Princeton University
 

Project Manager
John Scherrer, Johns Hopkins APL

Project Scientist
Matina Gkioulidou, Johns Hopkins APL
 

IMAP Spacecraft
An interactive, 3D rendering of the IMAP spacecraft. Click on the image and drag to see all angles of the spacecraft.

Instruments

Rendering of the IMAP spacecraft

IMAP-Ultra Interstellar Medium

Advancing designs built to study energetic particles around Earth and Saturn, IMAP-Ultra will image energetic particles from the edge of the solar system, providing detailed visuals of what happens when the Sun’s solar wind meets interstellar space. IMAP-Ultra is one of 10 instruments that will be included on the spacecraft.
Learn more about IMAP-Ultra

Related News

The IMAP spacecraft returns to the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

IMAP Mission Begins Integration and Testing at Johns Hopkins APL — Public Invited to Follow Along With Livestream Sep 20, 2023

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Boundaries of the heliosphere

IMAP Mission Successfully Completes Critical Design Review Feb 6, 2023

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Artist’s impression of the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP).

IMAP Mission Advances to Next Development Stage Aug 17, 2021

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Interstellar Medium
Graphic of Interstellar Medium

See More of APL’s Work Across the Solar System

Explore the Destination Map

Related Expertise

Astrophysics and Exoplanets Space Technology Space Weather and Heliophysics