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.
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Identity
- Aliases
- GGS PolarGlobal Geospace Science Polar
- Name
- 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.
- Destination
- Highly elliptical geocentric Earth orbit from approximately 1.8 to 9 Earth radii, at 86° inclination and roughly 18-hour period, for global auroral imaging and measurements of polar-magnetospheric plasma, particles, fields, and waves
- 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.
- Programs
- Start Date
- 1996-02-24
- Vehicle Families
Links
- Official Url
- https://science.nasa.gov/mission/polar/
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- July 18, 2026 at 13:42:30 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 22, 2026 at 08:03:35 UTC
- Image
- Download
Other
- Affiliations
- Search Name
- Polar GGS Polar Global Geospace Science Polar
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles