SH040-04
A Smallsat Platform for Large-scale Interplanetary Studies (SPLIS): Rideshare Opportunities and Pathway to Sub-L1 Space Weather Missions
A Smallsat Platform for Large-scale Interplanetary Studies (SPLIS): Rideshare Opportunities and Pathway to Sub-L1 Space Weather Missions
Monday, 14 December 2020: 16:09
Virtual
Abstract:
Except for Helios in the 1970s and early 1980s and STEREO early in its mission (2007-2008), there have not been any dedicated multi-spacecraft in-situ measurements of large-scale structures (shocks, coronal mass ejections - CMEs-, energetic storm particles, stream interaction regions - SIRs-) on scale-lengths of 0.01 - 0.4 AU, i.e. separations smaller but comparable to their radial and lateral extents. Multi-spacecraft missions in Earth’s magnetosphere (THEMIS, Cluster, MMS) have revealed how a fleet of 3 to 5 spacecraft can provide unique insight on complex physical phenomena, while fortuitous radial and longitudinal conjunctions between interplanetary HSO and planetary missions have been used to advance our understanding of CMEs, SIRs and shocks.
The growth of rideshare opportunities, the availability of low-cost smallsat platforms and the maturation of “standardized” space instrumentation make it possible to design and develop a smallsat platform with propulsion and the typical suite of in-situ measurements (as recently competed for SWFO-L1, for example) that fits within an ESPA-size and constraints. Focusing only on in-situ instruments allows for lower telemetry and pointing requirements than the traditional mix of remote and in-situ measurements in flagship missions. Such a platform can be launched on a variety of orbits in the near-Earth interplanetary space as a rideshare on the SLS, planetary, lunar and interplanetary missions. Combined with assets at L1 and through a number of launches, a small constellation can be built to study the variation of properties of IP structures in the near-Earth interplanetary environment, complementing remote observations provided by missions at Earth (SOHO/LASCO, PUNCH, SWFO-L1) and/or a future L5 mission. This model could then be applied to develop a constellation of sub-L1 in-situ sentinels with orbits constrained by the physical knowledge gained from this initial constellation.
The growth of rideshare opportunities, the availability of low-cost smallsat platforms and the maturation of “standardized” space instrumentation make it possible to design and develop a smallsat platform with propulsion and the typical suite of in-situ measurements (as recently competed for SWFO-L1, for example) that fits within an ESPA-size and constraints. Focusing only on in-situ instruments allows for lower telemetry and pointing requirements than the traditional mix of remote and in-situ measurements in flagship missions. Such a platform can be launched on a variety of orbits in the near-Earth interplanetary space as a rideshare on the SLS, planetary, lunar and interplanetary missions. Combined with assets at L1 and through a number of launches, a small constellation can be built to study the variation of properties of IP structures in the near-Earth interplanetary environment, complementing remote observations provided by missions at Earth (SOHO/LASCO, PUNCH, SWFO-L1) and/or a future L5 mission. This model could then be applied to develop a constellation of sub-L1 in-situ sentinels with orbits constrained by the physical knowledge gained from this initial constellation.