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NASA Launches Rockets to Unravel Aurora Mysteries

2/19/2026

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Story summary
  • NASA launched two sounding rockets from the Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska to study auroral electrical forces.
  • The missions are Black and Diffuse Auroral Science Surveyor and GNEISS.
  • Researchers use a network of ground sensors and simultaneous launches, including dark auroras, to model the auroral environment in three dimensions.
  • The work improves understanding of how solar energy interacts with Earth's atmosphere and informs space weather, satellites, and communications.