It features a compound lens system, a polarizing filter wheel, and a CCD camera with a 2K x 2K active detector, all specifically developed to monitor solar atmospheric changes.

This deployment is part of NASA's PUNCH mission, which includes four satellites designed to study the inner heliosphere and aims to produce detailed three-dimensional imagery of the solar corona transitioning into solar wind.

The NFI is a compact coronagraph equipped with an external occulter to block sunlight, enabling it to observe the faint solar corona and surrounding starfield.

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's Narrow Field Imager (NFI) has successfully begun operations in orbit after its launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on March 11, 2025.

Dr. Robin Colaninno from NRL emphasized that the NFI's deployment marks a significant advancement in understanding space weather dynamics, crucial for predicting the effects of solar activity on Earth and in space.

Improved forecasts from the PUNCH mission will enhance protection for space-based systems and exploratory missions operating in distant areas.

Following a three-month commissioning period, the PUNCH mission will enter a two-year science phase to provide insights into solar wind formation.

One of the mission's key objectives is to gather data on coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and their development, which is critical for predicting their impact on Earth, including potential satellite damage and power grid disruptions.