News

Falcon 3 rocket

TRACERS Launch Viewing Event Set For July 23

Monday, July 21, 2025
The UI Department of Physics and Astronomy is inviting you to join us for a live viewing event celebrating the launch of NASA’s TRACERS mission. The live viewing event has been postponed Wednesday July 23 in Lecture Room One, Van Allen Hall, from 12 to 3 p.m.
TRACERS meatball logo is circular image with the two TRACERS satellites above Earth. Magnetic field lines from the Sun and Earth are shown, with a star burst where they connect. Around the outside of the circular logo are the words Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites, University of Iowa, and NASA. TRACERS, in large text, spans the bottom of the logo.

NASA’s TRACERS Mission Targeting Launch on July 22

NASA’s TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) spacecraft are targeting launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket during a launch window that opens at 2:13 p.m. EDT (11:13 a.m. PDT) on Tuesday, July 22. The TRACERS mission and three NASA small satellites will launch from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
A rendered image of the two TRACERS satellites in orbit above Earth, highlighted by the sun beginning to shine from behind Earth

NASA’s TRACERS Studies Explosive Process in Earth’s Magnetic Shield

High above us, particles from the Sun hurtle toward Earth, colliding with the upper atmosphere and creating powerful explosions in a murky process called magnetic reconnection. A single magnetic reconnection event can release as much energy as the entire United States uses in a day. NASA’s new TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) mission will study magnetic reconnection, answering key questions about how it shapes the impacts of the Sun and space weather on our daily lives.
Ava Reed with TRACERS LEGO model

Making a model spacecraft, piece by piece

A University of Iowa engineering student built a replica of the TRACERS satellite that will study the magnetic fields of the sun and Earth.
A graphic displaying the earth's magnetosphere with the approximate orbit of the TRACERS satellites shown. The magnetopause, reconnection, and the orbit are labeled.

Space Science Reviews Publishes TRACERS Article Collection

The journal Space Science Reviews is publishing a collection of articles about the TRACERS mission. This collection presents the science objectives of the mission, descriptions of the design and calibration of the plasma instruments, and other important aspects of the mission.
A rendered image of the two TRACERS satellites in orbit above Earth, highlighted by the sun beginning to shine from behind Earth

NASA’s TRACERS Mission Now Targeting No Earlier Than Summer for Launch

NASA’s TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) now is targeting no earlier than summer 2025 for launch in order to give the mission spacecraft team additional time to prepare.
A photo of two kids taking part in a physics demonstration show with two scientists in tye-dyed lab coats standing nearby.

Demos Unleashed! Held March 14

The Department of Physics and Astronomy presented Demos Unleashed 2025 on March 14 at Van Allen Hall. The show featured the science of the TRACERS Mission including making plasmas, aurora, magnetic detection, particle detection, and the science of rockets.
A photo of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as it lifts off

After Tragic Loss, Iowa TRACERS Team Brings NASA Mission to Launch

University of Iowa space physicist Craig Kletzing’s life was cut short before he could complete his most ambitious NASA mission. The professor’s colleagues stepped in to bring TRACERS to the launch pad.
A photo of one TRACERS satellite lego model on a black counter top.

CLAS physics and astronomy department partners with engineering student to build 3D Lego model of TRACERS satellites

Ava Reed, a student in the College of Engineering, spent her summer designing and constructing the mini replica of the NASA funded satellite mission.
a photo of engineers working on TRACERS in a clean room at the University of Iowa

UI researchers complete TRACERS project for NASA

The twin spacecraft have recently been completed, with plans to launch in April 2025