NASA: MUSE and HelioSwarm Projects

February 11, 2022

On February 10, 2022, NASA selected two science missions namely, Multi-slit Solar Explorer (MUSE) and HelioSwarm, for improving our understanding on dynamics of the Sun, constantly changing space environment and Sun-Earth connection.

Key Points

Both the mission will provide deeper insights into universe as well as offer critical information, for protecting astronauts, satellites, and communications signals like GPS.
Missions will provide new and deeper insight into solar atmosphere and space
They further extend the science of other heliophysics missions as well as provide a unique perspective and novel approach for understanding mysteries of star.

The MUSE Mission

The MUSE Mission will help the scientists in understanding driving forces of Sun’s corona heating. It will also help in understanding the eruptions in outermost region which are at the foundation of space
It will offer deeper insight on physics of solar atmosphere by using an instrument called multi-slit spectrometer, which will observe extreme ultraviolet radiation of Sun and obtain highest resolution images of Solar transition region and the corona.
Mission will further provide complementary observations from heliophysics research like ground-based observatories and Extreme Ultra-Violet Spectroscopic Telescope.

The HelioSwarm mission

This mission is a constellation or “swarm” of nine spacecraft. It will be launched to capture first multiscale in-space measurements of fluctuations in magnetic field as well as motions of solar wind, called as solar wind turbulence. The outermost atmospheric layer of Sun called the heliosphere, encloses an enormous region of solar system. Solarwinds spread through heliosphere. Their interactions with planetary magnetospheres and disruptions like coronal mass ejections affect the turbulence. This mission will provide a unique ability to investigate turbulence. Mission’s budget is USD 250 million.

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