Heliophysics

Heliophysics studies the Sun and its interaction with Earth's magnetic field and upper atmosphere.

Scope Active Mission WindowActivePapers published from the first full month after science operations begin through two years after the mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. Methods LifetimeLifetimeEvery tracked publication to date, with every citation to date. Methods

Publications and citations by year

Publications per yearCumulative citations

Citations per $100M, by missionEach square is a mission at its cost and its citations per $100M, both on log scales. The running average combines mission rates across a broad range of nearby costs, giving closer missions more weight. Missions with no citations remain included and sit on the bottom row. Shading shows a 95% interval for the average at each cost. Methods

Each square is a mission at its cost and its citations per $100M, both on log scales. The running average combines mission rates across a broad range of nearby costs, giving closer missions more weight. Missions with no citations remain included and sit on the bottom row. Shading shows a 95% interval for the average at each cost.

Missions

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Missions — Lifetime, earliest launch first
ImageLife-cycle cost: NASA’s reported cost to build, launch, and operate a mission through its prime mission, plus documented partner contributions, in 2025 dollars. Extended missions are not included. MethodsTracked publications: peer-reviewed papers we found that name the mission or its instruments in their titles, abstracts, or keywords. Papers that used the data without naming it are missed. MethodsCitations: every citation these publications have drawn to date. Older missions have had longer to collect them. Methods
SMM $581M, 19801980Solar Observatory$581M1,01640,040
SME $150M, 19811981Orbiter$150M1796,179
AMPTE-CCE $242M, 19841984In-Situ Probe$242M28614,524
SAMPEX $128M, 19921992In-Situ Probe$128M2149,531
WIND $1.4B, 19941994In-Situ Probe$1.4B1,78270,099
Polar $757M, 19961996Remote Sensing Observatory$757M74123,767
FAST $117M, 19961996In-Situ Probe$117M2839,696
ACE $538M, 19971997In-Situ Probe$538M1,51054,373
SNOE $26M, 19981998Remote Sensing Observatory$26M542,006
TRACE $104M, 19981998Remote Sensing Observatory$104M71539,490
IMAGE $277M, 20002000Remote Sensing Observatory$277M49514,057
TIMED $491M, 20012001Remote Sensing Observatory$491M1,26232,401
RHESSI $169M, 20022002Remote Sensing Observatory$169M1,03840,324
STEREO $1.1B, 20062006Remote Sensing Observatory$1.1B1,90067,796
THEMIS-ARTEMIS $301M, 20072007Constellation$301M92334,547
AIM $234M, 20072007Remote Sensing Observatory$234M1573,356
IBEX $209M, 20082008In-Situ Probe$209M37314,563
SDO $1.5B, 20102010Remote Sensing Observatory$1.5B4,009110,410
Van Allen Probes $1.0B, 20122012In-Situ Probe$1.0B1,43639,665
IRIS $172M, 20132013Remote Sensing Observatory$172M67719,200
MMS $1.7B, 20152015Constellation$1.7B1,44232,926
MinXSS-1 $2.1M, 20152015Orbiter$2.1M11232
ELFIN $5.4M, 20182018In-Situ Probe$5.4M701,151
MinXSS-2 $1.4M, 20182018Orbiter$1.4M125
CeREs Failure $1.6M, 20182018In-Situ Probe$1.6M00
E-TBEx $2.4M, 20192019In-Situ Probe$2.4M00
ICON $340M, 20192019Remote Sensing Observatory$340M2142,332
SORTIE $5.0M, 20192019In-Situ Probe$5.0M226
CuPID Failure $8.5M, 20212021Remote Sensing Observatory$8.5M14
DAILI Failure $3.8M, 20212021Remote Sensing Observatory$3.8M00
CuSP Failure $6.5M, 20222022In-Situ Probe$6.5M00
petitSat Failure $6.7M, 20222022Orbiter$6.7M00
CURIE Failure $4.7M, 20242024Orbiter$4.7M00

How we found the papers, counted citations, and set costs: Methods.

Institutional contributionsThe institutions SciX lists for each paper’s authors, as printed on the paper, located through the Research Organization Registry. A square counts a paper once, however many of its authors worked there. Methods

Every tracked publication to date, each counted once however many Heliophysics missions it names.

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