Following a data outage in November 2024, some data from NASA’s SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory) and full data from NASA’s IRIS (Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph) has been successfully restored. This marks a significant step in resuming the flow of critical solar observations informing scientists and the space weather community.
Repairs are ongoing at the Joint Science Operations Center at Stanford University, which processes and distributes data from two of SDO’s imaging instruments. Since early January, near-real time images from these instruments are being provided every 15 minutes. Additionally, processing of most other SDO data has resumed, with additional processed data being distributed as system repairs progress.
Meanwhile, all data from NASA’s IRIS during the outage period is now fully accessible from the IRIS archive at Lockheed Martin Solar & Astrophysics Lab.
The SDO and IRIS missions continuously monitor solar activity, providing essential data to help scientists understand solar dynamics, such as flares, coronal mass ejections, and other space weather that can impact satellites, communications, and even power grids on Earth. No data was lost during the outage, which will allow researchers to analyze past solar activity once full data distribution is restored.