First Results of Mars Express—ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Mutual Radio Occultation
Abstract
Spacecraft-to-spacecraft radio occultations experiments are being conducted at Mars between Mars Express (MEX) and Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), the first ever extensive inter-spacecraft occultations at a planet other than Earth. Here we present results from the first 83 such occultations, conducted between 2 Nov 2020 and 5th of July 2023. Of these, 44 observations have to-date resulted in the extraction of vertical electron density profiles. These observations are the successful results of a major feasibility study conducted by the European Space Agency to use pre-existing relay communication equipment for radio science purposes. Mutual radio occultations have numerous advantages over traditional spacecraft-to-ground station occultations. In this work, we demonstrate how raw data are transformed into electron density values and validated with models and other instruments.
- Publication:
-
Radio Science
- Pub Date:
- July 2024
- DOI:
- 10.1029/2023RS007873
- Bibcode:
- 2024RaSc...5907873P
- Keywords:
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- Mars ionosphere;
- radio occultation;
- mutual radio occultation;
- crosslink;
- Mars express;
- trace gas orbiter