1. ICON will make the first direct measurements of the Earth's ionosphere, the electrified portion of the atmosphere that extends from about 50 to 400 miles (80 to 640 km) above the surface. This layer of charged particles is essential for accurate navigation and communications. Using a first-of-its-kind weather satellite concept, ICON will create a 3-D map that links the structure and dynamics of Earth's neutral atmosphere to the ionosphere and space weather.
2. ICON is a twin satellite mission, with the two spacecraft flying one after the other in nearly identical 27.4-degree-inclination orbits. The lead spacecraft, ICON A, launched on Oct. 10, 2019, followed by the second spacecraft, ICON B, launched a year later on Oct. 27, 2020. The two spacecraft will collect measurements about 20 seconds apart as they fly one after another, providing researchers with both spatial and temporal differences.
3. ICON will study how neutral atmospheric weather from below drives a highly variable ionosphere and affects the near-Earth space environment. The ionosphere changes drastically based on Earth's location in its orbit around the Sun and time of day. The mission also will investigate the effects of space weather, such as flares and coronal mass ejections from the Sun, on Earth's upper atmosphere.
4. ICON also can capture global imagery of Earth's dynamic upper atmosphere. For the first time, scientists can view large-scale wave structures and other upper atmospheric phenomena that change rapidly and dramatically. This capability also aids operational space weather forecasting.
5. ICON will provide science observations for two years, with hopes to extend up to five years. Observations from ICON along with other existing ground and space instruments will provide data to build a more accurate model of this part of the atmosphere and its dynamic processes.
