The Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) is a planned science mission for NASA's Explorer program, designed to study the connection between the Earth's weather and space weather.

ICON will explore the boundary between Earth and space – the ionosphere – to understand the physical connection between our world and the immediate space environment around us. This region, where ionized plasma and neutral gas collide and react exhibits dramatic variability that affects space-based technological systems like GPS. The ionosphere has long been known to respond to "space weather" drivers from the sun, but recent NASA missions have surprised us in showing this variability often occurs in concert with weather on our planet. ICON will compare the impacts of these two drivers as they exert change on the space environment that surrounds the Earth.

Led by the University of Berkeley, California, ICON will provide NASA's Heliophysics division with a new capability to observe the connection between the Earth's thermosphere and ionosphere. ICON was one of 11 proposals selected for NASA funding in September 2011, down from the original 22 submitted in February of that year. On April 12, 2013, NASA announced that ICON, along with Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD), had been selected for launch in 2017.

Space Vector Corporation (SVC) is a space company dedicated to providing high reliability components, systems, and launch vehicle solutions to the aerospace industry.

As a prime contractor to various government agencies, Space Vector has launched 37 rockets over the past 40 years in support of scientific and defense related projects. Many of SVC vehicles are boosted by refurbished Minuteman motors that have proven to be very reliable and cost effective. 

SVC also provides flight subsystems such as cold gas attitude control systems (ACS), guidance and control platforms, and vehicle structures.

Aqua (EOS PM-1) is a multi-national NASA scientific research satellite in orbit around the Earth, studying the precipitation, evaporation, and cycling of water.

It is the second major component of the Earth Observing System (EOS) preceded by Terra (launched 1999) and followed by Aura (launched 2004).

The Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is a payload scientific instrument launched into Earth orbit by NASA in 1999 on board the Terra (EOS AM) Satellite, and in 2002 on board the Aqua (EOS PM) satellite.

The instruments capture data in 36 spectral bands ranging in wavelength from 0.4 µm to 14.4 µm and at varying spatial resolutions (2 bands at 250 m, 5 bands at 500 m and 29 bands at 1 km). Together the instruments image the entire Earth every 1 to 2 days. They are designed to provide measurements in large-scale global dynamics including changes in Earth's cloud cover, radiation budget and processes occurring in the oceans, on land, and in the lower atmosphere. Three on-board calibrators (a solar diffuser combined with a solar diffuser stability monitor, a spectral radiometric calibration assembly, and a black body) provide in-flight calibration. MODIS has used the Marine Optical Buoy for vicarious calibration.

The Brazilian Space Agency (Portuguese: Agência Espacial Brasileira, AEB) is the civilian authority in Brazil responsible for Brazil space program.

It operates a spaceport at Alcântara and a rocket launch site at Barreira do Inferno. The agency has given Brazil a leading role in space in Latin America and has made Brazil a valuable and dependable partner for cooperation in the International Space Station.

The Alcântara Launch Center (CLA) is a satellite launching base of the Brazilian Space Agency in the city of Alcântara, located on Brazil's northern Atlantic coast,

Its geographical location is 2°17′S 44°23′W. It is operated by the Brazilian Air Force (Comando da Aeronáutica). The CLA is the closest launching base to the equator. This gives the launch site a significant advantage in launching geosynchronous satellites, an attribute shared by the Guiana Space Centre.

Telesat Canada, or Telesat, is a global fixed satellite services operator providing reliable and secure satellite-delivered communications solutions worldwide to broadcast, telecom, corporate and government customers. In 2013, Telesat is the fourth-largest fixed satellite services provider in the world.

Telesat Canada was founded on May 1969. It is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, with offices and facilities around the world. In 2013, the company's fleet consists of 13 satellites and the Canadian Ka-band payload on ViaSat-1, plus one satellite awaiting launch. Telesat also manages the operations of additional satellites for third parties. Privately held, Telesat's principal shareholders are Canada's Public Sector Pension Investment Board and Loral Space & Communications Inc.

On October 5, 2007 Loral Space & Communications Inc. and the Public Pension Investment Board of Canada received the final regulatory approval necessary to complete the acquisition of Telesat from BCE Inc. for CAD $3.25 billion. The acquisition closed on October 31, 2007, with Loral owning 64 percent of Telesat.

At the same time, Telesat Canada merged with Loral Skynet, a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications. Loral Skynet was a full-service global satellite operator headquartered in Bedminster, New Jersey. This resulted in the transfer of all of the assets of Loral Skynet to Telesat.

SENER is a private engineering and technology group founded in 1956 specialized in technological solutions.

For the space industry, SENER has developed from its beginnings mechanisms and mechanical systems that cover almost all the needs of the Flight Segment. Moreover, SENER supplies essential items for completing successful missions, such as Attitude or Control Systems (AOCS) and Guidance, Navigation and Control systems (GNC). All this is backed up with technical solvency, successfully proven with more than 20 satellites and spacecrafts currently operating with SENER equipment on board. In fact, SENER has a major history of meting deliveries, with which it has achieved a reputation for quality and reliability in Space.

Princeton Satellite Systems, Inc. is a company specializing in aerospace control and simulation technology.

Princeton Satellite Systems is actively developing state-of-the-art technology for launch vehicles and spacecraft navigation. The areas of expertise include control, estimation, optimization and simulation. The company has numerous government contracts.

Princeton Satellite Systems sells commercial software including control toolboxes for MATLAB™, stand-alone simulations, and software libraries for real-time software.

Braxton Technologies offers a wide variety of products and professional services for government and commercial applications in the fields of:

• Command & Control
• Telemetry
• Planning & Scheduling
• Simulation

The Global Positioning System (GPS) Program's launch, early-orbit, operations, and disposal command and control functions are currently performed by Braxton's ACE Premier™ product suite.

The ACE Premier™ architectural framework provides an infrastructure of configurable applications, tools and simulators that reduce cost and accelerate deployment of command and control systems.