“Sometimes you only get a box of band aids and rubberbands. That was the case here.”
It was an interesting launch of the ICON spacecraft the week of October 9th, here at the Space Sciences Lab. During a “normal” launch, there are many things that all need to line up, such as, Observatory (ICON), Rocket (Pegasus), Plane (Stargazer L-1011), Eastern Test Range (Tracking), Weather, and of course our Mission Operations Center […]
ICON’s mission to the ionosphere begins with beautiful fall launch
At 9:59 p.m. EDT this evening, Thursday, Oct. 10, NASA launched the Ionospheric Connection, or ICON, mission, putting into orbit a satellite built largely at UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory to explore the dynamic region where Earth meets space, the ionosphere. The mission is the first dedicated to studying how terrestrial weather can help drive […]
NASA Spacecraft Launches on Mission to Explore Frontier of Space
After successfully launching Thursday night, NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) spacecraft is in orbit for a first-of-its-kind mission to study a region of space where changes can disrupt communications and satellite orbits, and even increase radiation risks to astronauts. A Northrop Grumman Stargazer L-1011 aircraft took off at 8:31 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Air […]
Mission Operations prepares for tonight’s ICON launch
The UC Berkeley Mission Operations Center (MOC) is starting to fill in with engineers who are remotely monitoring as the team at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida powers up and checks the spacecraft for launch readiness.
Live coverage: NASA satellite to ride air-launched Pegasus to orbit Wednesday night Oct 9
10/09/2019 05:37 The latest official weather forecast issued by the U.S. Air Force’s 45th Weather Squadron continues to predict a 70 percent probability of unfavorable weather for launch this evening. “A weak surface trough continues to affect the Florida peninsula this morning,” the range weather team wrote in this morning’s forecast. “It will move slowly […]
Counting Down to ICON’s Launch
Only a few days left until ICON launches off of a Northrop Grumman L-1011 Stargazer. 5 snapshots per minute from FUV 4 types of instruments collecting data in tandem 360 miles above Earth 2 missions working together 1 gigabit of data per day Follow the day by day Countdown to learn more about the mission.
ICON launch scrubbed
Stay tuned….for updates.
GOLD and ICON Spacecraft work together to connect the Big Picture
NASA’s GOLD mission — short for Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk — launched aboard a commercial communications satellite on Jan. 25, 2018. From its vantage point in geostationary orbit over Brazil, GOLD gets a full-disk view of the same region of space that ICON studies, helping scientists connect the big picture with the […]
ICON Launch Delayed; New Launch Date to Come
NASA and Northrop Grumman have delayed the launch of the agency’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, to conduct further pre-launch testing on the rocket. Upon completion of the testing, a new launch date will be established.
10 days until the launch of ICON
The Ionospheric Connection Explorer! ? ICON will study Earth’s dynamic interface to space. To get ready for the Oct. 26 launch, we’re counting down with 10 key things to know about the mission: First up: ?-mile-per-hour sensitivity Though ICON zooms around Earth at upwards of 14,000 miles per hour, its wind-measuring instrument MIGHTI can detect […]
