Multi-spacecraft coordinated measurements during the Cruise phase of BepiColombo: scientific cases and measurements opportunities
Abstract
BepiColombo (ESA/JAXA), Solar Orbiter (ESA/NASA) and Parker Solar Probe (NASA), will be all traveling in the inner heliosphere for 5 years, between the launch of Solar Orbiter (10th February 2020) and the end of the cruise phase of BepiColombo (2018 - 2025). During the five years to come, the three spacecraft missions will cover different radial distances: BepiColombo will evolve between the Earth and the orbit of Mercury, while Solar Orbiter's highly elliptical orbit will cover distances from 1.02 AU to 0.28 AU, and Parker Solar Probe from about 0.7 AU to 0.04 AU. The exceptional and complementary plasma instrumental payloads and magnetometers on-board the different satellites will allow us to make unique multi-point measurements in the solar wind. Hence, in this work, we present the potential coordinated observations between at least BepiColombo, Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe (and including other satellites, e.g. STEREO, Cluster, THEMIS). More specifically we discuss the different scientific cases, modeling tools, measurement opportunities and related instruments operations.
- Publication:
-
43rd COSPAR Scientific Assembly. Held 28 January - 4 February
- Pub Date:
- January 2021
- Bibcode:
- 2021cosp...43E.459B