The first scientific instrument for a NASA space mission fully designed and built in Poland, has successfully passed testing and been integrated with the agency’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) satellite, Poland’s Space Research Center (CBK PAN) has announced.
The device, named GLOWS (Global Solar Wind Structure), a photometer designed to study the three-dimensional structure of the solar wind and its evolution over the solar cycle, will help scientists analyze the distribution of interstellar neutral hydrogen and radiation pressure in the heliosphere.
It is one of ten instruments aboard NASA’s IMAP spacecraft, set to launch in the second half of this year.
The device underwent extensive additional testing in Poland, including thermal, vibration, electromagnetic, and functional assessments. After arriving in the U.S., it was tested again and integrated with the IMAP satellite.
The IMAP mission is currently scheduled to launch in September 2025, with initial satellite activation planned within days of launch.
If all instruments remain functional, the mission could cover a full 11-year solar cycle.
The GLOWS experiment is funded by the Polish government under an agreement between Poland’s science ministry and NASA.
As a symbolic gesture, the logo of a major Polish charity organization (WOŚP) and the name of a winner of one of its auctions have been engraved on the instrument’s casing.
It is one of ten instruments aboard NASA’s IMAP spacecraft, set to launch in the second half of this year.
The device underwent extensive additional testing in Poland, including thermal, vibration, electromagnetic, and functional assessments. After arriving in the U.S., it was tested again and integrated with the IMAP satellite.
The IMAP mission is currently scheduled to launch in September 2025, with initial satellite activation planned within days of launch.
If all instruments remain functional, the mission could cover a full 11-year solar cycle.
The GLOWS experiment is funded by the Polish government under an agreement between Poland’s science ministry and NASA.
As a symbolic gesture, the logo of a major Polish charity organization (WOŚP) and the name of a winner of one of its auctions have been engraved on the instrument’s casing.
More In Society MORE...
