If all goes well, NASA will launch four identical satellites to study Earth’s magnetosphere tonight (March 12) from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Liftoff is scheduled for 10:44 Eastern Time and will be broadcast live on NASA TV.

The $1.1 billion Magnetic Multiscale mission (MMS) will study three phenomenon related to the magnetosphere: turbulence, energetic particle acceleration and magnetic reconnection.

Magnetic reconnection occurs when lines of magnetic force cross and rearrange themselves before reconnecting. When this occurs, large amounts of energy are released in the form of kinetic energy, heat and particle acceleration. This reconnection is what causes magnetic storms, auroras and magnetic storms.

In February, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) launched the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite. The primary purpose of that satellite is to monitor space weather, such as solar flares, and provide advanced warning of events to the Earth.

While DSCOVR can warn us about approaching solar storms, MMS could provide us with a better understanding of space weather and possibly help us to predict events before they occur.

“Magnetic reconnection is one of the most important drivers of space weather events. Eruptive solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and geomagnetic storms all involve the release, through reconnection, of energy stored in magnetic fields. Space weather events can affect modern technological systems such as communications networks, GPS navigation, and electrical power grids,” said Jeff Newmark, interim director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington in a statement.

A better understanding of magnetic reconnection, however, goes beyond understanding events in our own solar system. It will allow scientists to better understand the universe and the physical laws that govern it.

In physics, Alfvén’s theorem states that “in a fluid with infinite electric conductivity, magnetic field lines are frozen into the fluid and have to move along with it.”

Magnetic reconnection violates that theorem and does so on a regular basis with some fairly spectacular results. A better understanding of the phenomenon as it relates to the Earth and the sun, will help us better understand other planets and suns.

“This is the perfect time for this mission. MMS is a crucial next step in advancing the science of magnetic reconnection. Studying magnetic reconnection near Earth will unlock the ability to understand how this process works throughout the entire universe,” said Jim Burch, principal investigator of the MMS instrument suite science team at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in San Antonio, Texas.

Each of the four, identical satellites will spin at 3 rotations per minute. Deployable booms extending from the spacecraft carry magnetometers or electric-field sensors. The satellites will be powered by a ring of eight solar panels arranged so that some will continuously face the sun. An instrument deck on each satellite is able to watch the entire sky at once using a deck of 25 sensors.

Additional instruments on the satellites handle control, communications, thrust and maneuverability.

All four satellites will be launched simultaneously on an Atlas V rocket.

The MMS mission was originally approved for support by NASA a decade ago, in 2005. The Critical Design Review, the final step before construction begins, was passed in September 2010.