New Ukrainian LEO satellite mission IONOSAT
- Paper number
IAC-08.B4.2.4
- Author
Dr. Georgiy Lizunov, Space Research Institute, Kyiv, Ukraine, Ukraine
- Year
2008
- Abstract
The IONOSAT mission (from IONOsphere SATellites) is proposed by National Space Agency of Ukraine for the First European Space Program as a part of Space Weather Program. The aim of the project is to create constellation from 3 LEO microsatellites for spatial-temporal monitoring of fields and plasma parameters in the ionosphere in order to develop the fundamental scientific conceptions of solar-terrestrial connections physics, to provide the regular Space Weather nowcasting and forecasting, as well as to realize the diagnostics of natural and man-caused disasters. Tentative launch date of IONOSAT constellation is 2012 year. The principal project tasks are following:
- Scientific and methodological substantiation of the efficiency of the use of LEO satellites for Space Weather monitoring, and corresponding technological development and tests for realization.
- Systematic study of the ionosphere response to the influences “from above” (solar and geomagnetic activity) and “from below” (meteorological, seismic and technologic processes).
- Synchronous operation of the existing sub-satellite electromagnetic and meteorological polygons.
- Calibration of modern prediction models of quiet and disturbed ionosphere.
Main peculiarity of the IONOSAT and its difference from what was made before and proposed now by other space agencies can be shortly formulated as follows:
- The orbital grouping of the project has to be a cluster from several (three) microsatellites with as much as possible identical scientific payload composition (the measurements are to be multi-position).
- The satellite cluster has to be put on LEO orbit with the perigee 400 km (mission is ionospheric one).
- The orbit of constellation has to be polar and non sun-synchronous (that provides total coverage of the Earth surface by orbits for all local time values).
- Mutual distance between satellites has to be controlled within several hundreds – several thousands of km during mission life (providing multi-points diagnostics of mid-scale ionospheric disturbances).
By this a triangular satellites positioning would be of greatest interest: two satellites one after another at the same orbit what will give possibility to measure the same variations of ionospheric parameters (diurnal and latitudinal trends). The orbit of the third one has to have the same height but to be a bit in the other plane what will give a triangular positioning of spacecrafts. The successful solution of a complicated problem of maintaining of a given distance between spacecrafts was already realized by Yuzhnoye Design Office in INTERBALL-1 – MAGION-4 experiment.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)