The Endurance Rocket Mission

NASA’s Endurance sounding rocket (yard No. 47.001) will launch from Ny Ålesund, Svalbard in May 2022 on a solid fueled Oriole III-A vehicle. Its \(\sim19\) minute flight carry it to an altitude of \(\sim780~\text{km}\) above Earth’s sunlit polar cap. objective is make the first measurement weak “ambipolar” electric field generated by ionosphere. This thought play critical role upwelling and escape ionospheric ions, thus potentially evolution atmosphere. The results enable us determine importance ion this previously unmeasured fundamental property our planet, which aid better understanding what makes Earth habitable. six science instruments (with 16 sensors) that measure total electrical potential drop below spacecraft, physical parameters required understand physics generates ambipolar field. mission be supported simultaneous observations solar geomagnetic activity.