NASA has selected DAPHNE, short for Dynamic Atmosphere-Ionosphere Explorer, for Phase B development. The mission moves into detailed planning and design to examine how Earth’s lower atmosphere couples with the thermosphere and ionosphere, with direct relevance for GPS, low Earth orbit satellites and astronaut operations.
DAPHNE will fly identical twin satellites to collect coordinated measurements of neutral winds, temperature and composition in very low Earth orbit. The concept is led by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder, with oversight through NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Probes program at Goddard Space Flight Center.
The program now faces a confirmation review in 2027. If approved, launch is slated for no earlier than 2029.