NASA’s IMAP Begins Primary Science Mission - IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe)

NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) began its two-year primary science mission on Feb. 1 to explore and map the boundaries of our heliosphere — the protective bubble created by the solar wind that encapsulates our solar system.

The mission, which launched on Sept. 24, 2025, relies on 10 scientific instruments to chart a comprehensive picture of what’s roiling in space, from high-energy particles originating at the Sun, to magnetic fields in interplanetary space, to dust left from exploded stars in interstellar space.

NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) is mapping the boundaries of our heliosphere — a giant protective bubble created by the Sun that encapsulates our solar system. The spacecraft studies the Sun’s activity and how the heliosphere’s boundary interacts with the local galactic neighborhood beyond.
Credit: NASA/Joy Ng

Through studying this vast range of particles and the magnetic fields that guide them, IMAP will investigate two of the most important overarching issues in heliophysics, namely the energization of charged particles from the Sun and the interaction of the solar wind at its boundary with interstellar space.

With the start of its primary science mission, some of IMAP’s data is now being fed into the IMAP Active Link for Real-Time (I-ALiRT) system, which broadcasts near–real-time observations of the space weather conditions, such as the solar wind and energetic particles, headed toward Earth. This data can be used to inform forecasters, who issue advanced warnings and alerts of potential adverse space weather effects on the health and safety of spacecraft and astronauts.

Principal investigator and Princeton University professor David McComas leads the IMAP mission, which has an international team of 27 partner institutions. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, managed the development phase, built the spacecraft, and operates the mission, which is the fifth in NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Probes Program portfolio. The Explorers and Heliophysics Projects Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the Solar Terrestrial Probes Program for the agency’s Heliophysics Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.

Learn more about IMAP’s science mission here: https://science.nasa.gov/missions/nasas-imap-mission-to-study-boundaries-of-our-home-in-space/

By Mara Johnson-Groh
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 

Source: NASA’s IMAP Begins Primary Science Mission - NASA Science

Organic molecule stores renewable energy with record stability, paving the way for better flow batteries - Energy & Green Tech

Credit: University of Montreal

The main advantage of AzoBiPy is that it can exchange two electrons rather than just one. This means each molecule can store twice as much energy as a single-electron molecule, doubling the system's capacity.

"But the biggest challenge with these organic molecules is stability," said Lebel. "It must be possible for the charge-discharge cycle to run for a long time without the molecule breaking down."

This is where AzoBiPy shines. The team tested a flow battery based on this molecule by operating it for 70 consecutive days, completing 192 full charge-discharge cycles. At the end of the trial, the molecule retained nearly 99% of its initial capacity—a performance the researchers describe as exceptional for an organic molecule.

From laboratory to application

In a festive demonstration at the Department of Chemistry's holiday party in December 2024, the prototype flow battery powered a set of Christmas tree lights for eight hours with tanks containing only about two tablespoons of aqueous solution each.

This demonstration also highlighted another major advantage of the system: It is water-based and therefore non-flammable, unlike lithium-ion batteries, which present a fire risk. "This feature is especially important for large-scale, stationary energy storage facilities," said Rochefort.

Flow batteries powered by molecules such as AzoBiPy could be used to store electricity generated by solar or wind farms. Long-term storage of intermittently generated electricity would make it possible to use it at a later date to meet peak demand.

There could also be residential applications. "It may be possible to develop smaller-scale systems with greener, safer batteries for home use," Lebel suggested.

The research team is drafting a patent application and is already working on the next stages. "We're preparing a scientific article that describes a family of molecules with properties similar to AzoBiPy," said Lebel. "An entire class of compounds with potential for renewable energy storage is opening up to exploration. We expect this technology to be in wider use within 10 to 15 years." 

Provided by University of Montreal 

by Martin LaSalle, University of Montreal

edited by Lisa Lock, reviewed by Robert Egan 

Source: Organic molecule stores renewable energy with record stability, paving the way for better flow batteries