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 ....
Do You Want to Read More?
Subscribe Now
To get access to detailed content
Buy September 2025 Issue

Already a Member? Login here

Take Annual Subscription and get the following Advantage
The annual members of the Civil Services Chronicle can read the monthly content of the magazine as well as the Chronicle magazine archives.
Readers can study all the material before the last six months of the Civil Services Chronicle monthly issue in the form of Chronicle magazine archives.
Be an Annual Subscriber

Related Content