GTOSat: Radiation Belt Dynamics from the Inside

Presenter Information

John Lucas, NASA Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation FacilityFollow
Matthew Grubb, NASA Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility
Justin Morris, NASA Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility
Mark Suder, NASA Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility
Scott Zemerick, NASA Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility
Lauren Blum, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space PhysicsFollow
Larry Kepko, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterFollow
Behnam Azimi, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Charles Claggett, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Alan Cudmore, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Jared Espley, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
James Fraction, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Jacob Gruesbeck, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Hasnaa Khalifi, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Michael Madden, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Scott Murphy, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
James Odom, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Russel Roder, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Dakotah Rusley, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Luis Santos, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Dave Sheppard, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Mykhaylo Shumko, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Scott Starin, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Eddie Tsui, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Steven West, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
John Valliant, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Christine Gabrielse, The Aerospace CorporationFollow
Susan Crain, The Aerospace Corporation
William Crain, The Aerospace Corporation
William Chavez, The Aerospace Corporation
Geoffrey Maul, The Aerospace Corporation
Pavel Galchenko, NASA Wallops Flight FacilityFollow
Ted Daisey, NASA Wallops Flight Facility
Taylor Green, NASA Wallops Flight Facility
Ian Hammer, NASA Wallops Flight Facility
Scott Hesh, NASA Wallops Flight Facility
Laurence Thomson, NASA Langley Research CenterFollow
Joel Alexa, NASA Langley Research Center
Sankara Sankaran, NASA Langley Research Center
Drew Turner, John Hopkins University Applied Physics LaboratoryFollow

Session

Weekday Session 2: Beyond LEO

Location

Utah State University, Logan, UT

Abstract

GTOSat, a 6U SmallSat integrated and tested at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), has a scheduled launch date of July 31st, 2022, on an Atlas V. From a low inclination geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), GTOSat has the primary science goal of advancing our quantitative understanding of acceleration and loss of relativistic electrons in the Earth’s outer radiation belt. It will measure energy spectra and pitch angles of both the seed and the energized electron populations simultaneously using a compact, high-heritage Relativistic Electron Magnetic Spectrometer (REMS) built by The Aerospace Corporation. A boom-mounted Fluxgate Magnetometer (FMAG), developed by NASA GSFC, will provide 3-axis knowledge of the ambient local magnetic field. The spacecraft bus uses a combination of commercial and in-house/custom designed components. Design, integration, and testing of the spacecraft bus was performed by a small, dedicated team at GSFC. Throughout development GTOSat has encountered numerous challenges, expected and unexpected, that we’re ready to share with the community.