Ionospheric Connection Explorer
Ionospheric Connection Explorer
The
Ionospheric Connection Explorer] (ICON)]is a satellite designed to investigate changes in the Earth's ionosphere and is scheduled for launch in the summer of 2017. The mission is being led by the University of California, Berkeley and will be a new addition to NASA's Explorer program. ICON will provide NASA’s Heliophysics Division with a new capability to understand the tug-of-war between Earth’s atmosphere and the space environment. In the "no mans land" of the ionosphere, a continuous struggle between solar forcing and Earth’s weather systems drive extreme and unpredicted variability. ICON will investigate the forces at play in the near-space environment, leading the way in understanding disturbances that can lead to severe interference with communications and GPS signals.