DSCOVR

DSCOVR, short for Deep Space Climate Observatory, is a NASA mission designed to monitor solar wind conditions and to observe Earth from a vantage point between the Sun and Earth. The satellite is positioned at the Earth–Sun L1 Lagrange point, about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, providing a continuous, relatively uninterrupted view of both the Sun and the sunlit face of Earth. DSCOVR’s primary objectives are to improve space weather forecasting by measuring solar wind speed, density, temperature, and the interplanetary magnetic field, delivering near-real-time data for NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center; and to provide high-quality, near-global Earth observations for climate and environmental monitoring.

Its payload comprises two main pillars. The EPIC instrument, the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera, captures daily full-disk images of the sunlit face of Earth in multiple spectral bands. In addition, a suite of solar-wind and magnetic-field sensors monitors the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field at L1, enabling early alerts for geomagnetic disturbances.

DSCOVR was launched on February 11, 2015, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. It was developed as a collaboration among NASA, NOAA, and partner agencies, continuing the mission lineage of the ACE spacecraft that previously supplied space-weather data from L1. The satellite operates in a halo orbit around L1, ensuring a stable vantage for both solar and terrestrial observations.

Data from DSCOVR supports scientific research on Earth's atmosphere and climate and informs space-weather forecasting used by government agencies and industry.