10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
[PEM11-30] Mission Concept, Development, and First Results from IDEASSat/INSPIRESat-2 – Lessons Learned from Building a 3U CubeSat for Ionospheric Observations
★Invited Papers
Keywords:Ionosphere, Scintillation, CubeSat
In-situ measurements of ionospheric parameters can provide valuable observations for quantifying ionospheric variability that are not available via ground-based observations. However, such in-situ observations are constrained by the limited number of satellite platforms available. The Ionospheric Dynamics and Attitude Subsystem Satellite (IDEASSat) is a 3U CubeSat carrying a Compact Ionospheric Probe (CIP) with heritage from the Advanced Ionospheric Probe (AIP) aboard the FORMOSAT-5 large satellite mission. CIP will provide in-situ measurements of ion temperature, density, composition, velocity, and electron temperature. The spacecraft was developed by National Central University (NCU) in Taiwan, with additional development and operational support from partners in the International Satellite Program in Science and Education (INSPIRE) consortium.
IDEASSat was launched successfully on January 24, 2021 aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter 1 flight. The spacecraft was deployed into a 525 km quasi-Sun synchronous orbit (SSO) in an orbit plane within 2 hours local time of FORMOSAT-5, located in an SSO at 720 km. This allows for multipoint observations in a similar orbital plane at different altitudes, which can be utilized to examine the vertical structure and evolution of scintillation-inducing ionospheric irregularities, such as equatorial plasma bubbles.
As the first spacecraft developed at NCU, lessons learned during the development, integration, and operation of IDEASSat have proven to be crucial to the objective of developing small satellites as a platform for scientific observations. In this presentation, we will also report on experiences and anomalies encountered during the final flight model integration, as well as post-launch commissioning, operations, and first results. It is hoped that the lessons learned reported here will be helpful for other university teams working to utilize small satellites as observational platforms for upper atmospheric space science.
IDEASSat was launched successfully on January 24, 2021 aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter 1 flight. The spacecraft was deployed into a 525 km quasi-Sun synchronous orbit (SSO) in an orbit plane within 2 hours local time of FORMOSAT-5, located in an SSO at 720 km. This allows for multipoint observations in a similar orbital plane at different altitudes, which can be utilized to examine the vertical structure and evolution of scintillation-inducing ionospheric irregularities, such as equatorial plasma bubbles.
As the first spacecraft developed at NCU, lessons learned during the development, integration, and operation of IDEASSat have proven to be crucial to the objective of developing small satellites as a platform for scientific observations. In this presentation, we will also report on experiences and anomalies encountered during the final flight model integration, as well as post-launch commissioning, operations, and first results. It is hoped that the lessons learned reported here will be helpful for other university teams working to utilize small satellites as observational platforms for upper atmospheric space science.