NASA has officially launched its Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) mission, marking the beginning of a 16-month journey to investigate the enigmatic forces behind Earth’s auroral electrojets.
What Auroral Electrojets Are and Why They Matter Auroral electrojets are intense currents flowing through Earth’s upper atmosphere, fueled by geomagnetic storms triggered by solar eruptions.
These bursts of energy from the Sun slam into Earth’s magnetosphere, generating vivid auroras but also creating powerful electromagnetic currents.
By analyzing Earth’s electrojets in detail, scientists gain a framework for interpreting magnetic behavior on these distant worlds.
Collaborators and Technology Partners Behind the Mission EZIE is a joint effort supported by the Heliophysics Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, with operational leadership from the Explorers Program Office at Goddard Space Flight Center.
The Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) mission, which will explore the mysterious forces underlying Earth’s auroral electrojets for 16 months, has been formally launched by NASA. This is the first mission of its kind to map the magnetic structures associated with these high-altitude current systems exclusively. It was announced on May 27, 2025, via NASA’s official Science Mission Directorate blog. The three CubeSats are currently orbiting the Earth in a synchronized formation aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, ready to provide previously unheard-of insight into the turbulent relationship between solar activity and geomagnetic phenomena that disrupt technology and illuminate the polar skies.
What Are Auroral Electrojets and Their Significance?
Extreme currents known as auroral electrojets are driven by geomagnetic storms that are brought on by solar eruptions and travel through the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Vibrant auroras and strong electromagnetic currents are produced when these solar energy explosions strike Earth’s magnetosphere. These electrojets can disrupt communication networks, disrupt satellite navigation, and even cause ground-based electrical grid instability. Even with their influence, there is still much to learn about the inner workings, strength, and development of these currents. By using specialized instruments that can perform ultra-precise magnetic mapping across space and time, EZIE seeks to close this gap by decoding the “magnetic fingerprints” they leave behind.
How Magnetic Fingerprints Are Recorded by the EZIE Mission.
Operating in what scientists refer to as a “pearls-on-a-string” configuration, the mission is made up of three CubeSats, each roughly the size of a carry-on suitcase. The CubeSats orbit the Earth at an altitude of about 370 miles (590 kilometers) from pole to pole, with time lags of two to ten minutes. Because of this close formation, a dynamic three-dimensional map of the electrojet’s structure can be created by taking high-resolution pictures of it at various times. Every satellite is equipped with a Microwave Electrojet Magnetogram, which was created by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and is intended to precisely record the minuscule variations in magnetic fields brought on by electrojets, even in the face of harsh space weather.
Deciphering space weather and safeguarding Earth’s infrastructure are the two main science objectives.
Long-standing queries concerning the location and mechanism of geomagnetic energy deposition in Earth’s atmosphere will be resolved by the data collected. The mission will provide important insights into the causes of space weather events that endanger ground-based technology and human spaceflight by observing the origins and behavior of electrojets. This entails mapping the energy transfer between atmospheric layers, determining the triggers for massive auroras, and assisting in the modeling of the power grid’s susceptibility to solar storms. Ultimately, the results may aid engineers in creating more robust infrastructure and bolstering improved forecasting systems for commercial satellites and astronaut safety.
A glimpse of other planets’ magnetic systems.
EZIE has implications for planetary science throughout the solar system in addition to Earth. Solar interactions cause magnetic disturbances and auroral activity on other magnetized planets, including Jupiter and Saturn. Scientists can better understand magnetic behavior on these far-off worlds by closely examining Earth’s electrojets. In order to uncover hints about the atmospheric dynamics, internal structures, and possible habitability of gas giants or even exoplanets with magnetospheres, this comparative method may help future missions that target these objects. Thus, EZIE serves as a planetary diagnostic tool that operates from Earth orbit in addition to being a weather monitor.
Behind the mission are partners in technology and collaboration.
Operationally led by the Explorers Program Office at Goddard Space Flight Center, EZIE is a collaborative effort backed by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate’s Heliophysics Division. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California provided significant instrument contributions to the spacecraft’s design and construction, which was carried out by Boulder, Colorado-based Blue Canyon Technologies. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, renowned for its proficiency in magnetospheric science and small satellite technology, is in charge of the mission. These organizations combine extensive technical and scientific expertise to guarantee that EZIE meets its challenging objectives over the ensuing 16 months.
