Session
Session V: Next on the Pad
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
The International Satellite Program in Research and Education’s (INSPIRE) first satellite is an Ionosphere and Solar X-ray observing microsat slated for launch in November of 2019 onboard an ISRO Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. The microsat has a mission specific structure fitting on a PSLV ring deployer. There are two payloads aboard with two different science objectives. The Compact Ionosphere Probe (CIP) will take in-situ measurements of ion density, composition, temperature, velocity, and electron temperature. The CIP is a smaller version of the Advanced Ionosphere Probe (AIP, both developed in Taiwan) currently operating onboard the FORMOSat-5. This instrument is capable of sampling the ionosphere at 1 and 8 Hz. The second payload is the Dual Aperture X-ray Solar spectrometer (DAXSS). DAXSS is a modified Amptek X123 that will observe Solar X-rays, specifically soft X-rays. Hot plasma in the sun’s corona is best measured in the soft X-rays. Many emission lines for important elements (Fe, Si, Mg, S, etc) are in the soft X-ray range. Soft X-rays are always present in the sun but 100 times brighter during flares, these observations will also lend to understanding the temperature difference between the sun’s corona and photosphere. The solar soft x-rays are also important for the Earth’s Ionosphere, adding to the ionosphere observations made by CIP. The DAXSS instrument has heritage from a NASA calibration rocket experiment and two cubesats, MINXSS 1 and 2. The newer model Amptek X123 has much improved energy resolution for the X-ray spectrum. The primary science objectives of the INSPIRESat-1 are twofold. First, enabling the characterization of the temporal and spatial distributions of small-scale plasma irregularities like plasma bubbles and the Midnight Temperature Maximum (MTM) in season, location, and time by CIP. Second, giving a greater understanding of why the Sun’s corona is orders of magnitude hotter than the photosphere, why there is an abundance of elements change during different solar events, and how these events (observed with greater soft x-ray fidelity) effect the earth’s ionosphere. In this paper, we present science expectations for the INSPIRESat-1 and a concept for coordinated Ionospheric measurements covering several altitudes and local times using three satellite platforms carrying the same CIP instrument (INSPIRESat-1, IDEASat/INSPIRESat-2, INSPIRESat-4, FORMOSat-5). We describe the development of DAXSS and how the dual aperture prevents the need for two X123 to get the similar data. We also highlight the unique development of the INSPIRESat-1 microsat being developed by international collaboration across three different universities.
INSPIRESat-1: An Ionosphere and Solar X-ray Observing MicroSat
Utah State University, Logan, UT
The International Satellite Program in Research and Education’s (INSPIRE) first satellite is an Ionosphere and Solar X-ray observing microsat slated for launch in November of 2019 onboard an ISRO Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. The microsat has a mission specific structure fitting on a PSLV ring deployer. There are two payloads aboard with two different science objectives. The Compact Ionosphere Probe (CIP) will take in-situ measurements of ion density, composition, temperature, velocity, and electron temperature. The CIP is a smaller version of the Advanced Ionosphere Probe (AIP, both developed in Taiwan) currently operating onboard the FORMOSat-5. This instrument is capable of sampling the ionosphere at 1 and 8 Hz. The second payload is the Dual Aperture X-ray Solar spectrometer (DAXSS). DAXSS is a modified Amptek X123 that will observe Solar X-rays, specifically soft X-rays. Hot plasma in the sun’s corona is best measured in the soft X-rays. Many emission lines for important elements (Fe, Si, Mg, S, etc) are in the soft X-ray range. Soft X-rays are always present in the sun but 100 times brighter during flares, these observations will also lend to understanding the temperature difference between the sun’s corona and photosphere. The solar soft x-rays are also important for the Earth’s Ionosphere, adding to the ionosphere observations made by CIP. The DAXSS instrument has heritage from a NASA calibration rocket experiment and two cubesats, MINXSS 1 and 2. The newer model Amptek X123 has much improved energy resolution for the X-ray spectrum. The primary science objectives of the INSPIRESat-1 are twofold. First, enabling the characterization of the temporal and spatial distributions of small-scale plasma irregularities like plasma bubbles and the Midnight Temperature Maximum (MTM) in season, location, and time by CIP. Second, giving a greater understanding of why the Sun’s corona is orders of magnitude hotter than the photosphere, why there is an abundance of elements change during different solar events, and how these events (observed with greater soft x-ray fidelity) effect the earth’s ionosphere. In this paper, we present science expectations for the INSPIRESat-1 and a concept for coordinated Ionospheric measurements covering several altitudes and local times using three satellite platforms carrying the same CIP instrument (INSPIRESat-1, IDEASat/INSPIRESat-2, INSPIRESat-4, FORMOSat-5). We describe the development of DAXSS and how the dual aperture prevents the need for two X123 to get the similar data. We also highlight the unique development of the INSPIRESat-1 microsat being developed by international collaboration across three different universities.
