IMAP’s Extensive Pre-Launch Testing

NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) arrived at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in March to undergo testing, including exposure to extreme temperature changes inside a thermal vacuum chamber. Slated to launch no earlier than September 2025, IMAP will study the heliosphere from approximately 1 million miles toward the Sun from Earth. Watch this video to learn more.

Transcript

00:00:01 NASA's interstellar mapping and acceleration probe or IMAP is undergoing extreme testing at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. After unloading, the spacecraft was lifted into one of Marshall's thermal vacuum chambers. Inside the chamber, a 28-day test mimics the extreme environment of

00:00:22 space, including temperatures as cold as -48° F. In space, IMAP will study the heliosphere, the magnetic bubbles surrounding and protecting our solar system. Once testing is complete, the spacecraft will be shipped to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it's slated to launch no earlier than September 2025.