NASA’s PUNCH Mission Tests Solar Arrays Before Launch

Crews conduct a solar array deployment test on the spacecraft of NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) satellites at Astrotech Space Operations located inside Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.

USSF 30th Space Wing/Antonio Ramos

Technicians supporting NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission deployed and tested the spacecraft’s solar arrays at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California ahead of its launch next month.

The arrays, essential for powering instruments and systems, mark another milestone in preparing PUNCH for its mission to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere as it transitions into the solar wind. Technicians performed the tests in a specialized cleanroom environment to prevent contamination and protect the sensitive equipment.

Comprised of four suitcase-sized satellites working together as a constellation, PUNCH will capture continuous 3D images of the Sun’s corona and the solar wind’s journey into the solar system. Led by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) for NASA, the mission aims to deepen our understanding of the Sun and solar wind and how they affect humanity’s technology on Earth and our continued exploration of the solar system.

Successful solar array testing brings the spacecraft another step toward readiness for launch. The agency’s PUNCH mission is targeting liftoff as a rideshare with NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex 4E no earlier than Thursday, Feb. 27.

Image credit: USSF 30th Space Wing/Antonio Ramos  

Source: NASA's PUNCH Mission Tests Solar Arrays Before Launch - NASA