Renewed possibilities for studies of the atmosphere by sounding rockets from Esrange Space Center, Sweden
Abstract
From the 1960's to the end of the last millennium one or two Swedish sounding rockets were launched each year, not accounting for all the numerous metrology rockets in the same era. Now the first three sounding rockets for studies in the atmosphere, within a new Swedish national balloon and rocket programme initiated by the Swedish National Space Board (SNSB) in 2012, have been successfully launched from Esrange Space Center. These three mark the beginning of a new era for advanced sounding rocket studies in the atmosphere from Esrange Space Center. O-STATES 1 & 2, "Oxygen Species and Thermospheric Airglow in The Earth's Sky" by the Department of Meteorology at Stockholm University (MISU) and Swedish Space Corporation (SSC). A single payload, carrying a core of optical instrumentation, launched twice into different conditions during one single campaign with abbreviated on-site refurbishment between flights. SPIDER/LEEWAVES, "Small Payloads for Investigation of Disturbances in Electrojet by Rockets" & "Local Excitation and Effects of Waves on Atmospheric VErtical Structure" by the Space and Plasma physics department of the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), the Department of Meteorology at Stockholm University (MISU) and Swedish Space Corporation (SSC). Two missions combined in one payload carrying an instrumentation of in total 10 + 4 freeflying sensor sets being deployed into the atmosphere from one single rocket. These will be followed by upcoming missions such as SPIDER-2 (accepted in January 2018).This is a report on O-STATES 1 & 2, SPIDER/LEEWAVES and upcoming missions and flights as well as future possibilities for studies in the middle and upper atmosphere by sounding rockets from Esrange Space Center, Sweden.
- Publication:
-
42nd COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- July 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018cosp...42E3166S