IMAP Testing and Integration at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

  • Released Friday, April 11, 2025
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NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, or IMAP, arrived at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center on March 18, 2025, to undergo testing prior to launch. At Marshall, IMAP will be exposed to extreme temperature changes during a 28-day-long test inside a thermal vacuum chamber (TVAC). By simulating the harsh conditions in space, scientists and engineers can identify any potential issues before launch.

To learn more about the testing visit: go.nasa.gov/3Re73oU

Produced Video: NASA’s IMAP Endures Extreme Conditions During Pre-Launch Testing

Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.

Complete transcript available.

Music credit: "Nico's Journey" by Nicholas Smith [PRS] from Universal Production Music

B-Roll: 4K - Part 1

The IMAP spacecraft is unloaded from the transport vehicle and unboxed.

Credit: NASA/Tyson Eason

B-Roll: 4K - Part 2

The IMAP spacecraft is transported to the TVAC chamber.

Credit: NASA/Tyson Eason

B-Roll: 4K - Part 3

The IMAP spacecraft is moved into the TVAC chamber and the door is closed.

Credit: NASA/Tyson Eason

B-Roll: 4K - Part 4

Members of the IMAP team at work in the control room.

Credit: NASA/Tyson Eason

B-Roll: 1080 - Part 1

The IMAP spacecraft is unloaded from the transport vehicle and unboxed.

Credit: NASA/Tyson Eason

B-Roll: 1080 - Part 2

The IMAP spacecraft is transported into the TVAC chamber and the door is closed.

Credit: NASA/Tyson Eason

B-Roll: Vertical

The IMAP spacecraft is unloaded from the transport vehicle, unboxed, transported into the TVAC chamber, and the door is closed.

Credit: NASA/Tyson Eason

Photo: Team members from Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, install IMAP into the XRCF’s chamber dome before the start of the thermal vacuum test. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Princeton/Ed Whitman

Photo: Team members from Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, install IMAP into the XRCF’s chamber dome before the start of the thermal vacuum test.

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Princeton/Ed Whitman

GIF: NASA’s IMAP mission being loaded into the thermal vacuum chamber of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s X-Ray and Cryogenic Facility (XRCF) in Huntsville, Alabama. IMAP arrived at Marshall March 18 and was loaded into the chamber March 19.

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Princeton/Ed Whitman

Photo: NASA’s IMAP mission was loaded into NASA Marshall’s XRCF thermal vacuum chamber where the spacecraft will undergo testing such as dramatic temperature changes to simulate the harsh environment of space.Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Princeton/Ed Whitman

Photo: NASA’s IMAP mission was loaded into NASA Marshall’s XRCF thermal vacuum chamber where the spacecraft will undergo testing such as dramatic temperature changes to simulate the harsh environment of space.

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Princeton/Ed Whitman

Photo: Team members from Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama work to close the chamber door of the XRCF for IMAP testing. The chamber is 20 feet in diameter and 60 feet long making it one of the largest across NASA.Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Princeton/Ed Whitman

Photo: Team members from Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama work to close the chamber door of the XRCF for IMAP testing. The chamber is 20 feet in diameter and 60 feet long making it one of the largest across NASA.

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Princeton/Ed Whitman

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

This page was originally published on Friday, April 11, 2025.
This page was last updated on Monday, April 14, 2025 at 12:49 PM EDT.

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