IMAGE (from Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration), or Explorer 78, was a NASA MIDEX mission that studied the global response of the Earth's magnetosphere to changes in the solar wind. It was launched March 25, 2000 by a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg AFB and ceased operations in December 2005.
The IMAGE craft was placed in a 1,000×46,000 km orbit around the Earth, with an inclination of 90° (passing over the poles) and a 14.2 hour period. IMAGE was the first spacecraft dedicated to observing the magnetosphere of the Earth, and it produced comprehensive global images[disambiguation needed 
] of plasma in the inner magnetosphere. It did this using five instruments:
The CIDP as well as the Command & Data Handling Subsystem (main on-board computer) of the craft were built around the mission-proven RAD6000 avionics processors.
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- Italics indicate probes that failed to deploy or otherwise malfunctioned
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| Submagnetosphere |
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| Earth's magnetosphere |
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| Solar wind |
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| Satellites |
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| Research projects |
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| Other magnetospheres |
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| Related topics |
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Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Manned flights are indicated in bold text. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in brackets.
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] of plasma in the inner magnetosphere. It did this using five instruments:
