The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) Mission

NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission launched on 24 September 2025, inserted into L1 orbit on 8 January 2026, and began routine science operations on 1 February 2026. The spacecraft and all ten instruments are fully commissioned and operating well, which allows IMAP to provide its planned extensive and well-coordinated new observations of the inner and outer heliosphere and scientific closure on two of the most important topics in Heliophysics: 1) the acceleration of charged particles and 2) the interaction of the solar wind with the local interstellar medium. IMAP’s ten instruments provide complete and synergistic observations that examine particle energization processes at 1 au while simultaneously probing the global heliospheric interaction with the very local interstellar medium (VLISM). The in situ observations include solar wind electrons and ions from solar wind up through suprathermal ions, pickup ion, and energetic ions, as well as the interplanetary magnetic field. IMAP provides Energetic Neutral Atom (ENA) global imaging of the outer heliosphere via ENAs from 10s of eV up through 100s of keV, as well as observations of interstellar neutral atoms traversing the heliosphere. IMAP also directly measures interstellar dust that enters the heliosphere and the solar-wind-modulated ultraviolet glow. The IMAP mission also provides extensive new real-time measurements critical to Space Weather observations and predictions, and much more. This paper provides a brief mission overview, as well as some first light and early science observations.