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NASA has selected a mission concept led by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) to investigate the complex system of space weather that surrounds Earth, and how this system connects to our planet’s atmosphere.Ìý

This science mission will improve prediction capabilities for understanding the impacts of space weather on technology, such as GPS and low Earth orbit satellites—as well as protecting astronauts in space—and will benefit society as a whole.

NASA announced that the DAPHNE (Dynamic Atmosphere-Ionosphere Explorer) mission willof development, which includes planning and design for flight and mission operations.Ìý

Led by LASP researcher Aimee Merkel, DAPHNE will use identical twin satellites to study how changes in Earth’s lower atmosphere influence the upper atmosphere, where space weather is manifested. This mission has been called out as a top priority in the most recent Heliophysics Decadal Survey from the National Academy of Sciences.

"This mission has wide-ranging implications for human spaceflight and technology," said ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ Chancellor Justin Schwartz. "LASP and ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ are honored to partner with NASA on such an important flight project for our country."

Each spacecraft will be equipped with three remote-sensing instruments: MIGHTI, FUVI, and PLATO. Together, the instruments will provide coordinated, multi-point measurements of neutral winds, temperature and composition in very low Earth orbit, a region where Earth’s atmosphere transitions into charged particles.Ìý

In this thin shell that surrounds our planet, the atmosphere is in constant motion, shaped by solar activity and changes in the lower atmosphere. The observations from the DAPHNE mission will incorporate data from the lower atmospheric region to advance space weather predictive capabilities.Ìý

"Scientists have long studied how space weather affects Earth, but much less is known about how Earth's lower atmosphere affects the upper atmosphere and space weather," said Merkel. "DAPHNE will fill this major gap in scientific understanding and help answer long-standing questions about how Earth interacts with our sun. The DAPHNE team is very excited to get started, and we thank NASA for the opportunity to investigate this region that is critical to modern technology and human spaceflight."

The mission is a low-risk, high-heritage, high-data-return investigation that leverages a diverse team of experts in space science research, mission management and engineering.Ìý

The mission will be subject to a confirmation review in 2027, which will assess the progress of the mission and the availability of funds. If confirmed, the total estimated cost of the mission, excluding launch, will not exceed $250 million in fiscal year 2023 dollars, with a mission launch date of no earlier than 2029.

Major partners for the mission include BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado, and the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.

The DAPHNE mission was proposed as a concept study in response to the DYNAMICÌý(Dynamical Neutral Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling) mission announcement of opportunity.Ìý

Funding and management oversight for this mission is provided by the Solar Terrestrial Probes program at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.