Illustration of ICON (IMAGE) NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Caption NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, (illustrated here) launches December 2017 to explore Earth's upper atmosphere and ionosphere, a region influenced by both terrestrial weather and changes in near-Earth space. Credit NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.