Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) Mission

NASA has selected Southwest Research Institute to lead the “Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere” (PUNCH) mission, a landmark Small Explorers Program mission that will image beyond the Sun’s outer corona. PUNCH will consist of a constellation of four suitcase-sized microsatellites or “microsats” that will launch as early as 2022. The microsats will orbit the Earth in formation to study how the Sun’s atmosphere, or corona, connects with the interplanetary medium. PUNCH will provide the first globa