The CERTO and CITRIS Instruments for Radio Scintillation and Electron Density Tomography from the C/NOFS, COSMIC, NPSAT1 and STPSAT1 Satellites
Abstract
A new constellation of radio beacon and radio beacon receivers will be providing global measurements of radio scintillations and total electron content (TEC) for near real time measurements of the ionosphere. This constellation is comprised of the NRL Coherent Electromagnetic Radio Tomography (CERTO) beacons on the Communications/Navigation Forecast Outage System (C/NOFS) satellite, the six Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) satellites, and the Naval Postgraduate (NPSAT1) Satellite. These satellites will be launched in the time period of 2004 through 2006. The CERTO beacons operating at 150.012, 400.032, and 1066.752 MHz will be transmitting to ground receivers located in chains to acquire TEC data for computerized ionospheric tomography (CIT). In addition, in early 2006 a five frequency receiver will be placed in low earth orbit with the United States Air Force Space Test Program (STPSAT1) satellite. This CITRIS receiver will use radio beacon transmissions from the French DORIS network of ground beacons at 401.25 and 2036.25 MHz and space-based beacons at 150, 400 and 1067 MHz to measure the earth's ionosphere. On board tracking software will lock onto Doppler shifted frequencies to determine total electron content (TEC) and scintillation parameters. The STPSAT1 will be launched along with a companion satellite (NPSAT1) which carries the CERTO radio beacon and a Langmuir probe. All of the CERTO beacons as well as the ionospheric sensors on STPSAT1 and NPSAT1 are being constructed at the Naval Research Laboratory. The data obtained using the CITRIS instrument will provide a global description of the ionosphere from orbits with inclinations ranging from 15 degrees to 70 degrees and altitudes from 375 to 800 km. The tandem operations of the CITRIS and CERTO instruments will provide the fully low-earth-orbit based occultation measurements of the ionosphere. All of the data will be available for rapid assimilation ionospheric, space-weather models.
- Publication:
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AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- May 2004
- Bibcode:
- 2004AGUSMSA51A..07B
- Keywords:
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- 2415 Equatorial ionosphere;
- 2439 Ionospheric irregularities;
- 2447 Modeling and forecasting