A Small Volume Sensor for Space-Based Remote Sensing of Thermospheric Neutral Winds

Measurements of thermospheric winds from space are critical to advancing our understanding of the dynamics of the ionosphere-thermosphere (I-T) system. Successful space-based remote sensing instruments for measuring thermospheric winds have included HRDI, WINDII, TIDI and most recently the MIGHTI instrument on the ICON satellite. These remote sensing instruments are interferometers (Fabry-Perot or Michelson) whose size, complexity and mass may limit their application on multipoint platforms. INDI (Interferometer for Neutral-thermosphere Dynamics Imaging) is a wind sensor based on the MIGHTI design but with a more limited scientific scope and smaller size that enables the optical module to fit into ~3.5U of a 6U CubeSat. INDI is designed for measuring day and nighttime red-line winds between 200 and 300 km limb altitude, however, the concept could be tailored to other altitudes ranges and spectral lines. This small sensor concept could provide the capability to measure winds from multiple platforms while minimizing the use of satellite resources.