IDEASSat: A 3U CubeSat mission next on the pad for ionospheric science

Abstract:

Following the growing use of small satellites as a platform for distributed aeronomy observations, the Ionospheric Dynamics Exploration and Attitude Subsystem Satellite (IDEASSat/ INSPIRESat-2) is a three-unit (U) CubeSat that has been developed by National Central University (NCU) in partnership with the International Satellite Program in Research and Education (INSPIRE) consortium, and funded by the Taiwan National Space Organization (NSPO), Ministry of Science and Technology, and Ministry of Education as part of the first national effort to encourage small satellite development at Taiwan universities. IDEASSat is scheduled to be launched into a 500 km Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO, inclination) in December 2020. The objective of IDEASSat mission is to provide in-situ measurements of the Earth’s ionosphere in order to quantify both global scale ionospheric variability and small-scale irregularities. The science payload is the Compact Ionospheric Probe (CIP, ~0.4 kg) - an all in one in-situ plasma sensor developed at Taiwan National Central University (NCU), which is the miniaturized version of the larger Advanced Ionospheric Probe (AIP, ~4.5 kg) that is carried and operational aboard the 450 kg FORMOSAT-5 spacecraft. Oriented in the ram direction, CIP provides raw data of ion and electron currents from which ion and electron temperature, ion density, ion drift velocity, and light to heavy ion ratio can be derived with sampling rates of up to 8 Hz. With high sampling rate and pointing accuracy, IDEASSat CIP can provide snapshots of the spatial structure of plasma irregularities and the traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) with sub-kilometer resolution in Low Earth Orbit. The development of IDEASSat has not only offered students a hands-on opportunity to learn about space science and technology, but also works in conjunction with CIPs carried onboard the INSPIRESat-1, ARCADE/INSPIRESat-4, and SCION-X/INSPIRESat-6 small satellites, as well as the AIP carried by FORMOSAT-5. This allows for multi-platform observations spanning different altitudes and local times, to improve our understanding of the ionosphere. This presentation will focus on the potential space phenomena that the IDEASSat observes, and the global pattern that INSPIRE constellation can outline with FORMOSAT-5 AIP measurements.