Five probes launched to find storms’ source

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Five science satellites blasted off on a single rocket into a golden sunset Saturday on a mission to figure out the source of powerful geomagnetic substorms in the Earth’s atmosphere.

The launch at 6:01 p.m. from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station came a day after it was scrubbed Friday after strong upper winds forced officials to wait 24 hours, said Rani Gran, NASA spokeswoman.

Scientists hope the $200 million Themis mission unravels the mystery behind the storms that can damage communications satellites, disable power grids and shoot high levels of radiation down on spacewalking astronauts and airplane passengers flying over northern latitudes.

Scientists believe they also periodically intensify the spectacular light shows seen in the northern lights, or aurora borealis.

“For 30 years, people have tried to understand what causes the onset of these substorms,” said Vassilis Angelopoulos of the University of California at Berkeley, principal investigator for the Themis mission. “Finding out the origin … has been so elusive.”

Each satellite will magnetically map North America every four days for about 15 to 20 hours in tandem with 20 ground stations.

Scientists plan to begin receiving data from the probes in about two months and continue receiving information for many years, officials said.

The mission, if successful, will end the debate scientists hold as to when the substorms are triggered.