Science and Mission Operations of the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP)

The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission is flying a ten-instrument payload with more than 25 institutional partners worldwide, providing extensive and well-coordinated new observations of the inner and outer heliosphere. IMAP’s operations and data processing architecture are designed to maximize payload science output to answer key IMAP science questions in partnership with the broader heliophysics and space weather communities. IMAP has implemented an innovative approach for integrated operations oversight by the Science & Mission Operations (SMOps) team and ownership of both payload operations and data processing, from mission development through flight operations, by a single Science Operations Center (SOC). This “One Payload, One SOC” approach addresses many challenges faced by large missions with distributed instrument teams by providing uniform guidelines, expectations, processes, and platforms. This paper describes the concept of operations, mission phases, observatory operations from Launch through Nominal Operations, and data processing, validation, distribution and archival. This mission design enables IMAP to use its validated science data pipeline upon its arrival at its L1 operational orbit.