ICON

Explorer 96, Ionospheric Connection Explorer

Mission Profile

ICON (Ionospheric Connection Explorer, Explorer 96) is a NASA satellite launched on 11 October 2019 aboard a Pegasus XL rocket to study the connection between space weather and Earth's ionosphere — the electrically charged region of the upper atmosphere where satellites orbit and GPS signals propagate. ICON investigates how terrestrial weather, including tropical thunderstorms and tidal winds, contributes to driving ionospheric variability alongside inputs from the Sun. Its four science instruments measure winds, densities, temperatures, and compositions at ionospheric altitudes of 90-400 km, complementing the ground-based and space-based observations of the geospace system. ICON's measurements have revealed that Earth's own weather system has a far greater impact on the ionosphere than previously appreciated.