NASA Extends UI TRACERS Mission to 2027 to Study Solar Wind
NASA has extended the University of Iowa-led Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) mission through spring 2027. The extension provides the science team with additional time to gather data on how solar wind and charged particles from the sun interact with Earth’s magnetic field.
TRACERS Team Restores Contact After Power Subsystem Issue
The decision to extend the mission follows technical difficulties experienced shortly after the launch of the twin spacecraft in July 2025. One of the satellites, identified as Space Vehicle 1, encountered a power subsystem issue that led to intermittent contact and a loss of communication. The TRACERS team has since successfully restored contact with the craft, allowing it to largely resume operations and continue its data collection efforts.
NASA Project Studies Solar Wind and Space Weather
TRACERS is a $171.6 million project managed by NASA’s Explorers Program Office and represents the largest externally funded research initiative in the history of the University of Iowa. The twin satellites are designed to fly in tandem into the cusps, areas where solar wind gains direct access to the Earth’s atmosphere. By studying these magnetic interactions, researchers aim to better understand the space weather that can impact satellites and other technologies.
I’m extremely proud of the TRACERS team. They executed a difficult mission with care and skill, and I’m excited to see what the next observations will yield,
said David Miles, the mission’s principal investigator and an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Iowa.
The mission originated from a proposal by the late UI physicist Craig Kletzing in 2016, with NASA officially awarding the project to the university in 2019.