BackForwardInstrument:  FUV (ICON) 

Instrument details
Acronym FUV (ICON)
Full name Far Ultra Violet Imaging Spectrograph
Purpose The primary objective for the FUV imager is to determine daytime thermospheric composition and nighttime ion density through imaging the limb and sub-limb of the ionosphere-thermosphere
Short description Imaging spectrometer operating in the UV range 135.6-155 nm
Background FUV is based upon the IMAGE-FUV Spectrographic Imager (SI), flown on NASA IMAGE in 2000
Scanning Technique Limb sounding from a low-inclination LEO
Resolution 0.48°. In the limb region:300 km
Coverage / Cycle Full interplanetary space and Earth's limb in 100 min (orbital period). Samplig at 1 image every 12 seconds.
Mass Power Data Rate

 

Providing Agency NASA
Instrument Maturity Flown on an R&D satellite
Utilization Period: 2020 to 2024
Last update: 2024-01-22
Detailed characteristics
Satellites this instrument is flying on

Note: a red tag indicates satellites no longer operational, a green tag indicates operational satellites, a blue tag indicates future satellites

Instrument classification
  • Solar and space environment monitors
  • Space radiometer or spectrometer
WIGOS Subcomponents
  • Subcomponent 2
  • Magnetospheric energetic particles and magnetometers
  • Ionospheric electron density sensor [in LEO and cross magnetosphere]
  • Ionospheric plasma density
  • Subcomponent 3
  • UV spectral imagery (e.g. GEO, HEO, MEO, LEO)
  • UV spectral imager [from GEO, HEO, MEO, LEO]
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
  • UV flux spectrum
  • UV sky image
Evaluation of Measurements

The following list indicates which measurements can typically be retrieved from this category of instrument. To see a full Gap Analysis by Variable, click on the respective variable.

Note: table can be sorted by clicking on the column headers
Note: * Primary mission objective.
VariableRelevance for measuring this variableOperational limitationsExplanation
UV flux spectrum*2 - very highNo specific limitation.Earth's limb observed, coarse spectral resolution
UV sky image*2 - very highNo specific limitation.Earth's limb observed, spectrometry with coarse spatial resolution
Heliospheric image2 - very highNo specific limitation.Interplanetary space viewing in the UV band (121.6-393.4 nm)
Ionospheric plasma density5 - marginalNo specific limitation.UV imaging spectrometer measuring ionospheric plasma density in the Earth's limb
Electron Density5 - marginalNo specific limitation.UV spectrometry of the Earth's limb