FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 Mission and Preliminary Result
Abstract
FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 mission is the largest science and technology collaboration between the U.S. and Taiwan, and underlines the value of GNSS radio occultation for global weather forecasting, space weather monitoring and climate research. The FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 mission is a 6-satellite constellation, operated at an orbit of 550 km altitude, 24-degree inclination angle, and a period of 97 minutes. Each satellite is equipped with three payloads, Radio Occultation Receiver (TGRS), Ion Velocity Meter (IVM), and RF Beacon (RFB). The TGRS is capable of tracking more than 4,000 high-quality profiles at low and mid latitude regions with 45-minute data latency daily. The IVM directly measures the ion temperature and velocity in the path of each satellite. The RFB measures the irregularity of electron densities in the ionospheric layer. FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 provides sounding profiles of the atmosphere closer to Earth's surface where many forcing functions of weather prediction occur. These deep sounding profiles are expected to be especially useful in the study and forecasting of tropical meteorology, including tropical cyclones, as well as in probing ionospheric plasma dynamics and monitoring space weather. The 6 satellites of FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 were launched by Falcon Heavy on June 25, 2019. The FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 mission overview, scientific objectives, satellites status and preliminary results will be presented.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFM.G14A..01L
- Keywords:
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- 3307 Boundary layer processes;
- ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES;
- 1220 Atmosphere monitoring with geodetic techniques;
- GEODESY AND GRAVITY;
- 1294 Instruments and techniques;
- GEODESY AND GRAVITY;
- 1866 Soil moisture;
- HYDROLOGY