Session
Session III: Science Mission Payloads 1 - Research & Academia
Location
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Abstract
Accurate characterization of ionospheric conditions is essential for improving space weather forecasting and mitigating its impacts on communication, navigation, and space-based systems. Utah State University’s Center for Space Engineering has developed the second-generation Space Weather Probes (SWP2) instrumentation suite, optimized for deployment on small satellite platforms. Building upon experience from the Scintillation Prediction Observations Research Task (SPORT) mission, SWP2 integrates advanced Langmuir probes, floating potential double probes, and an RF impedance probe onto a compact, FPGA-controlled electronics module, conforming to the standard 9×9 cm CubeSat form factor. The design provides complementary diagnostic measurements of electron density, electron temperature, electric fields, and plasma waves, leveraging high-rate sampling and onboard spectral analysis capabilities. Ground-based data handling utilizes the CCSDS Space Packet Protocol and the Binary Reconfigurable Input Stream Converter (BRISC) software to ensure precise timing, rapid validation, and near-real-time visualization. Laboratory calibrations demonstrate the instrument’s exceptional sensitivity and low noise characteristics, confirmed by in-orbit observations of fine-scale equatorial plasma bubble structures during SPORT. This paper presents the design evolution, operational theory, measurement performance, and preliminary flight results of the SWP2 suite, highlighting its potential to significantly advance ionospheric and space weather research using small satellite platforms.
Document Type
Event
Advancing Space Weather Research With the Next-Generation Space Weather Probes
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Accurate characterization of ionospheric conditions is essential for improving space weather forecasting and mitigating its impacts on communication, navigation, and space-based systems. Utah State University’s Center for Space Engineering has developed the second-generation Space Weather Probes (SWP2) instrumentation suite, optimized for deployment on small satellite platforms. Building upon experience from the Scintillation Prediction Observations Research Task (SPORT) mission, SWP2 integrates advanced Langmuir probes, floating potential double probes, and an RF impedance probe onto a compact, FPGA-controlled electronics module, conforming to the standard 9×9 cm CubeSat form factor. The design provides complementary diagnostic measurements of electron density, electron temperature, electric fields, and plasma waves, leveraging high-rate sampling and onboard spectral analysis capabilities. Ground-based data handling utilizes the CCSDS Space Packet Protocol and the Binary Reconfigurable Input Stream Converter (BRISC) software to ensure precise timing, rapid validation, and near-real-time visualization. Laboratory calibrations demonstrate the instrument’s exceptional sensitivity and low noise characteristics, confirmed by in-orbit observations of fine-scale equatorial plasma bubble structures during SPORT. This paper presents the design evolution, operational theory, measurement performance, and preliminary flight results of the SWP2 suite, highlighting its potential to significantly advance ionospheric and space weather research using small satellite platforms.
