Abstract:
The Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) is a NASA explorer-class satellite dedicated to study the variability of the Earth’s ionosphere. As part of the ICON payload suite, the (Far Ultra-Violet) FUV instrument will measure daytime and nighttime 135.6 nm and daytime 157 nm radiances on the limb. This talk will provide a brief overview of the ICON mission and its current status, followed by a discussion of the optical-mechanical characteristics of the ICON FUV instrument, the test techniques and calibration strategies employed, and the instrument’s capabilities with regard to spectral resolution, spatial resolution, and photometric throughput.