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Photo of Johns Hopkins APL’s Camera Reveals Surprise for NASA’s Lucy Mission in First Asteroid Encounter
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Johns Hopkins APL’s Camera Reveals Surprise for NASA’s Lucy Mission in First Asteroid Encounter

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Space Weather

When the Sun's reach touches Earth

Today's bustling world hinges on power and satellite communication systems to deliver information at breakneck speed, yet a single powerful geomagnetic storm unleashed from extreme solar activity can suddenly bring these systems to a halt.

As a recognized space weather center of excellence, APL has fostered collaborations and built state-of-the-art physics-based and machine-learning models to set the groundwork for predicting such severe space weather events. APL has built and operated dozens of instruments and NASA spacecraft missions to better understand space weather in general

These missions include STEREO, which has provided unprecedented 3D views of powerful coronal mass ejections at the Sun; the Van Allen Probes, which provided scientists with invaluable data for predicting changes in Earth’s radiation belts; and Parker Solar Probe, whose unparalleled orbit near the Sun will transform our understanding and forecast capabilities of space weather events.

Missions

APL has designed, built and operated more than 70 innovative spacecraft over its six decades of spaceflight experience. Click below to learn about some of the missions that made revolutionary discoveries, and spacecraft that will push the boundaries of exploration and investigate outstanding scientific mysteries.

Learn more about Van Allen Probes
Rendering of the Van Allen Probes orbiting above Earth with the Sun in background

Van Allen Probes

A mission to explore Earth’s harsh radiation belt environment and the dynamics of geomagnetic storms.

Instruments

Scientists and engineers at APL have designed, built and operated more than 300 novel space instruments and methods to conduct cutting-edge research and make groundbreaking discoveries. Click below to learn about some of these instruments and their role in shaping our understanding of space and the solar system.

Learn more about EPAM
The ACE mission spacecraft orbiting the Sun

EPAM

Mission

ACE

Destinations

Sun & Solar Wind
The Electron, Proton and Alpha Monitor (EPAM) is designed to detect energetic particles from the Sun, the galaxy and interstellar space.

Stories

Go inside APL’s space missions and research, and check out the latest news, features and discoveries from the teams that are probing mysteries from the Sun to the edge of the solar system and beyond.

Parker Solar Probe approaching sun
Dec 15, 2023

Parker Solar Probe Team Garners NASA Honors

NASA's Parker Solar Probe team has earned agency honors for its novel efforts to guide a spacecraft toward record-setting close distances from the Sun - and revealing more about our star than mission planners and scientists ever expected.
A photo of a person's hands holding a small plastic box with various electronics and wires in it. Another box on the table behind it reads "EZIE Mag"
Dec 14, 2023

How EZIE-Mag Pushes to Make Science More Accessible and Inclusive

Before the launch of the EZIE mission, the EZIE team at Johns Hopkins APL will make and freely distribute approximately 700 magnetometer kits (nicknamed EZIE-Mag) to teachers and students across the United States, with a specific focus on Indigenous schools.
A blue and green aurora appearing over a body of water and a mountain range in the background
Dec 12, 2023

Johns Hopkins APL Conference Explores Preparedness for Next Space Weather Event

With the Sun approaching its next peak in solar activity, space weather experts convened at APL to discuss how top agencies are preparing for a potential impact on national security.