The Mapping of IonoSpheric Turbulence and Irregularities (MISTI) CubeSat Constellation

Abstract:

Ionospheric irregularities at the equatorial and middle-latitudes are a component of the Earth’s geospace environment that effect human activity. These irregularities, particularly those at F-region altitudes (>150 km altitude) can significantly impact space-based radio systems such as the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) through a process called “scintillation.” Two major challenges in understanding these F-region irregularities are (i) determining their origins, and (ii) determining how the instabilities’ behavior and evolution affects radio scintillation characteristics. To address these challenges, we propose the MISTI constellation: a multi-spacecraft mission that will address the problem of coupling between F-region irregularities with those in the lower-altitude E-region, and map the dynamics and spectral characteristics of the F-region. MISTI was accepted for the formulation phase of the 2019 Heliophysics Flight Opportunities for Research and Technology (H-FORT) call. Each 3U CubeSat is equipped with a Rapid Active Plasma Sounder (RAPS) that measures local electron density at up to 1024 Samples/s cadence. Additionally, each spacecraft includes the Ionospheric Mapping Using Advanced GNSS Radios (IMAGR) instrument, which can maintain signal lock during scintillation events and determine the spectrum of the ionospheric density fluctuations along each GPS signal path. Using a multi-satellite approach, we can not only observe the irregularities, but use the spatially-varying GNSS signals to map out the locations of irregularities, which will determine cross-altitude coupling. The mission will also be able to map the spectral characteristics of the instabilities using multiple signal paths, as well as resolving spatial and temporal ambiguities with a multi-spacecraft approach.