Daedalus Program

ESA Earth Explorer 10 feasibility candidate selected in September 2018, Daedalus would investigate the largely unexplored thermosphere-ionosphere transition by measuring electrodynamic energy deposition and related Sun–solar-wind coupling with a mother spacecraft and four deployable small satellites. ESA did not advance the concept because of Earth Explorer 10 cost constraints, but planned further study through possible international cooperation and continued risk-reduction work.