VISIONS-2 observations of the electrodynamics of magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling

The VISIONS-2 sounding rocket mission, launched Dec 7, 2019 into the cusp, was predominantly designed to study ion outflow acceleration mechanisms. However, its rocket-borne and ground-based instrument complement was well suited to study the electrodynamics of the cusp, including the pathways of magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. VISIONS-2 launched southward from Ny Alesund, Svalbard, under active cusp conditions, with southward Bz and positive Bx and negative By. The Kjell Henriksen Observatory (KHO) optical instruments and the EISCAT radar were used to measure the conditions before, during, and after the VISIONS-2 launch. VISIONS-2 observed strong convection indicative of a potential penetration into the afternoon convection cell, strong Alfvénic activity, and intense filamentary soft precipitation. VISIONS-2's unique combination of rocket borne multispectral imagery along with in situ instrumentation of particles and fields as well as the ground-based measurements provide a unique view of the M-I coupling processes taking place at this time. We will describe the VISIONS-2 observations of the large-scale electrodynamics and discuss how the observations fit into our understanding of cusp processes.