The launch of NASA's PUNCH is planned: Why there have been more launches of solar missions

On Thursday, March 6, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will launch its latest solar mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission, called Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH), will be the third major solar mission launched in the past 18 months. There is a rationale for the rise in solar missions. This phenomena is caused by the solar cycle.

Like a bar magnet, the Sun has a north and south pole magnetic field. There is a magnetic field inside the Sun due to the constant migration of electrically charged particles. The Sun completely flips its magnetic field every eleven years when its north and south poles switch.

The solar cycle affects the activity on the surface of the Sun. For instance, the Sun is most active when the magnetic field is reversed. This stage is known as the solar maximum. The star can release particles and radiation into space more frequently and more intensely during this period. After the flip, the star stabilizes until it gets close to the solar minimum, marking the beginning of a new cycle.

The Sun's surface has the most sunspots—small, dark, cooler areas with a particularly strong magnetic field—during solar maximum. During the solar minimum, the Sun has the fewest sunspots. Scientists use sunspot counts to track the solar cycle.

Furthermore, "the Sun experiences an increase in giant eruptions, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections" throughout the solar cycle. NASA's website states that "these eruptions send powerful bursts of energy and material into space." It should be noted that the bursts could potentially disrupt the planet's electrical networks and satellite communication. For this reason, scientists keep an eye on the solar cycle.

The present solar activity and sunspot count suggest that this cycle may be nearing its maxima, albeit an official confirmation has not yet been made.

When the sun is at its greatest, physicists have the best opportunity to view and launch their instruments. This is the exact reason why the number of missions to monitor the star has increased. The next period of extreme solar activity won't occur until 2035–2036, as solar physicists are well aware.