NASA and SpaceX successfully launched the agency’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) from Florida on Wednesday morning. Joining IMAP on its way to Lagrange Point 1 are two additional rideshare payloads: NOAA’s Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) and the joint NASA/University of Illinois Carruthers Geocorona Observatory.
Liftoff took place on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 7:30 AM EDT (11:30 UTC) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Weather was 85% favorable for launch during an instantaneous launch window, with the primary concern being the cumulus cloud rule.