The Scintillation Prediction Observations Research Task (SPORT) Mission: Science CONOPS

Abstract:

The Scintillation Prediction Observations Research Task (SPORT) is a 6U CubeSat mission designed to investigate space weather effects on space-based radio systems. Solar and geomagnetic storms can cause the low-latitude ionosphere to become a turbulent plasma, which disrupts radio waves as they attempt to propagate through the disturbed medium. The resulting scintillation of ionospheric radio waves routinely causes outages in communication and navigation systems. The joint U.S.-Brazilian SPORT mission is dedicated to advancing our capabilities in forecasting these ionospheric scintillations. The SPORT satellite is being developed to fly in circular low Earth orbit at an altitude of ~400 km and an inclination of 52 degrees for a nominal one-year mission operational lifetime. The projected launch date is 4Q 2021, and SPORT will be inserted into its free-flyer orbit from the International Space Station via the Nanoracks platform. SPORT instruments will measure vector electric and magnetic fields, in situ plasma density, temperature, and bulk drift velocity, radio wave scintillation and total electron content between SPORT and select GPS satellites, and remote sensing of electron density profiles using the GPS radio occultation technique. Ground-based observations of the ionosphere, including Digisonde radio sounding and airglow optical imaging, will provide context for equatorial plasma bubble seeding mechanisms, bottom-side ionospheric state parameters, and opportunities for cross-calibration of ion drifts during occasional overflights with Digisondes operated in their special drift mode. Target-of-opportunity multi-point measurements of large-scale plasma depletions may be possible whenever SPORT crosses into a magnetic flux tube simultaneously with other orbiting spacecraft providing compatible plasma measurements, such as the ISS, ICON, or the upcoming LLITED and SORTIE missions. The SPORT Science CONOPS is designed to use the data sets from ground- and space-based instruments, along with state-of-the-art models, to study the statistical distribution of equatorial plasma bubbles as a function of longitude and local time along with the precursor ionospheric state parameters and trigger mechanisms for development of such bubbles.