NASA backs CINEMA smallsat fleet to probe Earth magnetotail

by Clarence Oxford
Laurel MD (SPX) Dec 14, 2025

NASA has selected Dartmouth College and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, to begin developing a mission that will shed more light on the growing impacts of space weather.

The Cross-scale Investigation of Earths Magnetotail and Aurora (CINEMA) mission will unlock the secrets of the energy circulation through Earths magnetotail. The magnetotail is an extension of our planets magnetic field created by solar wind streamed from the Sun, and as energy accumulates, it can release energy explosively and power intense geomagnetic storms and substorms.

That energy contributes to the phenomenon of space weather, the set of events fueled by solar activity that range from auroral displays at Earths poles to releases that can affect satellite safety, air travel and ground infrastructure. CINEMA will examine how these processes connect and evolve across near-Earth space.

Using nine small satellites, each carrying three science instruments, CINEMA will provide a coordinated view of the magnetotail, the aurora and their role in how the magnetosphere functions. The mission will investigate what causes the magnetosphere to release energy explosively and how particles from the Sun steadily move through Earths magnetic field.

"We're thrilled that NASA has selected CINEMA as the next SMEX mission. This is an exciting moment for our team and our partners, whose creativity, dedication, and expertise shaped a mission designed to answer some of the most compelling questions in heliophysics," said Robyn Millan, principal investigator for the mission and an experimental physicist at Dartmouth. "CINEMA's innovative multi-spacecraft approach will give us a perspective on Earth's magnetotail that we've never had before, opening the door to discoveries that will meaningfully advance our understanding of the Sun-Earth system.".

The mission will significantly improve understanding of the energetic connection between the Sun and Earth and provide insight into how similar environments in space could affect future human exploration. "CINEMA provides a critical tool to aid our understanding of space weather," said Bobby Braun, head of APL's Space Exploration Sector. "We're thrilled that NASA recognizes the scientific value CINEMA will deliver and we're excited to start working with our partners to implement this mission.".

Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, is the CINEMA principal investigator institution, while APL will manage the mission, provide critical instrumentation and integrate the payload. The University of California, Berkeley, in partnership with Space Dynamics Laboratory, will supply auroral imaging instruments, and Blue Canyon Technologies of Lafayette, Colorado, will provide the small spacecraft and operate the mission.