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Story summary
- The SWFO-L1 spacecraft will launch on Sept. 23 to monitor the sun and safeguard Earth from space weather.
- Aging satellites, like NASA's ACE and NOAA's DSCOVR, are becoming unreliable, with ACE nearly 30 years old.
- DSCOVR is currently offline due to a software issue, leaving NOAA dependent on ACE for solar wind data.
- SWFO-L1 will provide continuous solar wind monitoring and critical data to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.
- Equipped with a compact coronagraph and other instruments, it enhances space weather observation capabilities.
