DISCOVR

DISCOVR (for Deep Space Climate Observatory, earlier called Triana) is a satellite located at Lagrangian point L1, monitoring space weather, particularly to give what warning is possible for coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and monitoring Earth climate. It was developed in the 1990s as a project of Al Gore and has had the informal name GoreSat, but the project was canceled after the satellite was constructed, and it was launched in 2015 after the project was revived. Instruments:

• PlasMag - Plasma-Magnetometer: measures the solar wind, the instrument that would warn of a CME.
• EPIC - Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera: ultraviolet, visible light, and infrared capabilities.
• NISTAR - National Institute of Standards and Technology Advanced Radiometer.

Coronal mass ejections hit Earth occasionally, events generally known as solar storms, causing damage, impeding communication and travel, and creating significant auroras. A major one can produce disastrous destruction and upheaval, something which will eventually occur again. DISCOVR can detect one from fifteen minutes to an hour before it reaches Earth (the speed of CMEs varies), which is inadequate, but at this point it is one of the few satellites in place to produce any warning.