NASA has launched two missions to study the electrical currents responsible for the aurora borealis, commonly known as the Northern Lights. The missions, launched on February 16, 2026, from the Poker Flat Research Range near Fairbanks, Alaska, aim to understand the movement of electrons and what causes them to flow into space instead of towards Earth.
The agency is employing a unique approach, utilizing two rockets equipped with scientific instruments to gather precise data from the upper atmosphere during a short period. This data will provide insights into the aurora that haven’t been recorded before. Understanding the aurora is crucial due to its connection to geomagnetic storms, which can impact technological systems on Earth.
One of the missions, dubbed “BADASS,” focuses on studying black auroras – a rare event where electrons ascend into space rather than flowing towards the Earth. The other mission, “GNEISS,” utilizes a technique similar to a CT scan to map the electrical currents within the aurora, creating a three-dimensional view of their distribution. NASA plans to launch the GNEISS mission in early February 2026.
According to NASA, the aurora forms when electrons from space collide with Earth’s atmosphere, causing the sky to glow. These electrons must move in a circular path to illuminate the aurora, but the direction of this path is often unpredictable, making it difficult to study. The GNEISS mission aims to overcome this challenge by launching two rockets simultaneously across an arc of the aurora, with each rocket deploying four sub-units that send radio signals to ground-based receivers. “NASA” launches two missions to study the movement of electrons in the aurora
Scientists hope to develop a method for predicting the effects of space weather by combining data from the GNEISS mission with data from NASA’s EZIE satellite, which was launched in March 2025. NASA launches two missions to study the movement of electrons in the aurora. This combined approach could improve our ability to protect satellites and power grids from the disruptive effects of geomagnetic storms.
