Illustration of NASA's ICON mission in orbit Credits: NASA

NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON), which will study the frontier of space: the dynamic zone high in our atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather above, is scheduled to launch on Friday, October 26. The 90-minute launch window will open at 4:00 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will launch aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. ICON will be launching off the coast of Daytona at 39,000 ft. at a heading of 105.0 degrees.

ICON will study the ionosphere, where terrestrial weather meets space weather. This dynamic zone high in Earth’s atmosphere can be a source of great beauty such as the aurora, but can also be disruptive to radio communications and satellites, and astronaut health. ICON will help determine the physical processes at play in this “frontier of space” -- thus paving the way for mitigating their effects on our technology, communications systems and society.

The deadline for media to apply for accreditation for this launch has passed.

Launch coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency’s website at 3:45 a.m. EDT.

The following is a complete schedule of mission coverage.

L-2 Day (Wednesday, Oct. 24)

Mission Briefing

A mission briefing will be held at 1 p.m. EDT at the NASA Press Site Auditorium and will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

Participants:
Nicola Fox, Heliophysics Division Director, NASA HQ
Omar Baez, Sr. Launch Director, Launch Services Program, NASA Kennedy Space Center
Robert Lockwood, Program Director, Science & Environmental Satellites, Northrop Grumman
Bryan Baldwin, Sr. Director Space Launch Program, Northrup Grumman
Capt. Matthew Walter, Launch Weather Officer, 45^th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

Media and the public also may ask questions during the event using #askNASA.

L-1011 Tour and Photo Opportunity

Following the Mission Briefing, media can view the ICON spacecraft and tour the L-1011 aircraft.  Media should arrive at the Press Site no later than 2:15 p.m. EDT to be transported to the CCAFS Skid Strip.  ICON team members will be available to answer questions about Northrup Grumman’s Pegasus XL rocket.

L-0 Launch Day (Friday, Oct. 26)

NASA TV Launch Coverage

NASA TV live launch coverage will begin at 3:45 a.m. EDT. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," the launch conductor’s countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135.

NASA Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage

Prelaunch and launch day coverage of ICON will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning at 3:45 a.m. EDT as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. You can follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at https://blogs.nasa.gov/icon/.

For more information about the ICON mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/icon

Join the conversation on social media by following on Twitter and Facebook at:

https://twitter.com/NASASun

https://www.facebook.com/NASASunScience

Photo and video content for ICON is available at:

http://images.nasa.gov/

-end-
 

Press Contacts

Dwayne Brown / Karen Fox
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726 / 301-286-6284
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov / karen.fox@nasa.gov

Mary MacLaughlin
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
mary.maclaughlin@nasa.gov

NASA Kennedy Space Center news releases and other information are available automatically by sending an e-mail message with the subject line subscribe to ksc-request@newsletters.nasa.gov.

To unsubscribe, send an e-mail message with the subject line unsubscribe to ksc-request@newsletters.nasa.gov.