PUNCH Observations for Space Weather Operationsand Research

PUNCH is a coronagraphic and heliospheric imaging NASA Small Explorer mission composed of four spacecraft, three Wide Field Imagers (WFI) and one Near Field Imager (NFI), which generates polarization-resolved observations of the corona and heliosphere between 6–180 Rs. In addition to its science mission, PUNCH provides low-latency observations of the corona and heliosphere that can support space weather forecasting operations, predictions, and workflows. In this paper we describe the space weather applications that PUNCH observations support, including tracking coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar wind outflow. We discuss the specific low-latency data products produced by PUNCH for space weather applications and the data access pathways for end users. We provide an overview of research-to-operations opportunities enabled by these data, including the uses of polarized coronal measurements for space weather, 2D and 3D tracking of CMEs, and the use of PUNCH data as a constraint for numerical forecasting models. We conclude with a look at potential synergistic opportunities between PUNCH and planned and proposed operational space weather missions such as NOAA’s Space Weather Follow-On mission to be positioned at the L1 Lagrange point, and the European Vigil mission to the L5 point, and ground-based observations from observatories such as the COronal Solar Magnetism Observatory (COSMO).