Back to Missions

Polar

Polar was a NASA geospace observatory that imaged auroras and measured plasma, particles, fields, and waves along a highly elliptical, steeply inclined Earth orbit. Its changing vantage point connected processes in the polar magnetosphere, radiation belts, ionosphere, and geomagnetic tail.

Follow this mission

Alerts are unavailable because this mission is no longer active.

Identity

Aliases
GGS PolarGlobal Geospace Science Polar
Name
Polar
Slug
polar
Status
completed

Details

Astronauts
-
Description
Polar was a NASA geospace observatory that imaged auroras and measured plasma, particles, fields, and waves along a highly elliptical, steeply inclined Earth orbit. Its changing vantage point connected processes in the polar magnetosphere, radiation belts, ionosphere, and geomagnetic tail.
End Date
2008-04-28
Launch Site
Outcome
Polar operated for more than twelve years, documenting auroral energy transfer and the circulation of plasma through Earth's magnetosphere. NASA ended spacecraft operations on April 28, 2008 after the mission's final observing campaign.
Program
International Solar-Terrestrial Physics
Start Date
1996-02-24
Vehicle Families

Links

Assets & Meta

Creation Time
July 18, 2026 at 13:42:30 UTC
Updated Time
July 18, 2026 at 13:42:30 UTC

Other

Affiliations
Space Stations
-
Vehicles