NASA Launches Sounding Rocket to Study Sun’s Chromosphere

As part of its groundbreaking Solar EruptioN Integral Field Spectrograph (SNIFS) mission, on 18th July 2025, NASA successfully launched a Black Brant IX sounding rocket from White Sands Space Harbor, New Mexico, to study the Sun’s chromosphere, the layer between its surface and outer atmosphere.

What are sounding rockets?

  • Short-duration, suborbital rockets used by NASA for over 40 years.
  • Cheaper and quicker to launch than orbital rockets — no boosters required.
  • Ideal for reaching regions too high for balloons, but too low for satellites.
  • The Black Brant IX, used in this mission, is nearly 60 feet tall — much smaller than SpaceX’s Falcon ....
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