The mission will study the effects of the sun and human-induced activities on the least explored and understood portion of Earth's atmosphere known as the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere/Ionosphere. The satellite will focus on a portion of this atmospheric region located approximately 60-180 km (32-97 nmi) above Earth's surface, studying its basic structure and how energy is transferred into and out of this area.

The Solar Terrestrial Probes Program Office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., manages the TIMED mission for the Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JHU/APL designed, built and will operate the spacecraft and lead the science effort for NASA during the mission.

The TIMED mission cost of US$193 million includes the spacecraft, instrument payload, and launch vehicle. An additional US$42 million has been reserved for data analysis and ground/mission operations.