Archiwa News

Solar Flare and CME seen by GLOWS

On January 18, 2026, a powerful solar flare was observed on the Sun, accompanied by a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). The flare was classified as X-class—the highest category on the five-point scale used to describe such solar phenomena. The accelerated particles (primarily protons and electrons) ejected during this event reached Earth the following day, triggering […]

GLOWS “first light” from orbit

At the end of October this year, GLOWS, along with other instruments on board the IMAP mission, established contact with Earth. In the following days, our photometer was powered on and began collecting observational data. This is still an initial phase during which optimal parameters have not yet been reached; therefore, the data do not […]

First GLOWS Switch-on Successful

The IMAP mission is now en route to its target orbit around the Lagrange point L1. Following the successful launch and separation from the rocket, the individual instruments are being systematically switched on. On Wednesday, October 1st, in the evening Polish time, GLOWS was successfully switched on. Tests confirmed the correctness of two-way communication and […]

GLOWS has launched!

On Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at 1:30 PM Polish time (CEST), a Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket carried three experiments: IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe), the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, and NOAA’s SWFO-L1 (Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1). Members of our scientific and engineering team observed the launch on-site. GLOWS […]

Media Campaign Kicks Off Before Launch!

The launch of the IMAP mission is fast approaching. The first attempt to send the satellite aboard the Falcon 9 rocket will take place on September 23, 2025, at 1:31 PM Polish time. The entire GLOWS team is intensely preparing for this event. Part of these preparations is the publication of a series of interviews […]

The IMAP launch is scheduled for September 2025

Recently NASA announced that a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the IMAP satellite will lift off in September 2025. In addition to our mission, the rocket will take two other smaller satellites that will also operate at the L1 Lagrange point: the Carruthers Geocorona Observatory (an instrument that will observe ultraviolet light emitted by Earth’s […]

GLOWS integration!

It’s happening! Today GLOWS will be integrated with the IMAP satelite. Thanks to the live feed, we can all watch it. The integration should start at 8.00 AM local time (12:00 UTC, 14:00 in Poland). The feed is available here: IMAP Live.

GLOWS arrived at APL

After successfully passing the PSR (pre-ship review), our instrument was carefully packed and transported to APL (Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory). During the journey, it was overseen by our two engineers. GLOWS arrived at the laboratory without any issues, where it will undergo final tests and be mounted onto the IMAP satellite. You can […]

GLOWS PSR is done

The GLOWS instrument has reached another milestone. On August 8th, a PSR (Pre-Ship Review) of our photometer took place in Warsaw. A team of independent experts, along with engineers and scientists involved in the IMAP mission, assessed the presented state of the instrument. The GLOWS team demonstrated that the instrument is ready to be handed […]

GLOWS callibration

In March, calibration tests of the flight components of the GLOWS instrument were conducted. Our group of engineers spent 2 weeks at the German PTB (https://www.ptb.de/cms/) facility, conducting a series of test measurements. The instrument was illuminated with ultraviolet radiation, as it will be in orbit. This is a very important stage in the development […]