Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1)
Goddard Space Weather Collaboration and NOAA’s SWFO-L1
The Mission
The Space Weather Follow-On (SWFO) program sustains NOAA’s foundational set of space-based, space weather observations and measurements collected by legacy missions (DSCOVR and SOHO) to ensure continuity of critical space weather data.
To achieve these objectives, the SWFO program is developing:
- Space Weather Follow-On at L1 (SWFO-L1), NOAA’s first satellite dedicated to space weather observations,
- instruments to observe the Sun and space environment upstream of the Earth, including two compact coronagraphs (CCORs) that image the Sun’s corona, and
- a dedicated ground segment for operation of the SWFO-L1 satellite, acquisition of the SWFO-L1 data, and product generation and distribution of the SWFO-L1 and GOES-U CCOR data.
Instruments will be hosted on two satellites:
NOAA’s SWFO-L1 observatory, a rideshare on the NASA Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission, planned for launch in 2025.
NOAA satellites will send space weather data to the SWFO Ground Segment, which includes processing units at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) and National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio SWFO-L1 Video Releases
NOAA monitors space weather using satellites positioned at Lagrange Point 1 (L1), about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. For years, satellites like DSCOVR and ACE have provided solar wind and coronal imaging, but their operational lifespans are ending. The new SWFO-L1 satellite will collect real-time data on solar wind, plasma, and magnetic fields, with a Compact Coronagraph to detect coronal mass ejections. Its L1 position ensures continuous, unobstructed solar observation…
