First observation results of Macao Science Satellite 1 on lightning-induced electron precipitation

Abstract The Medium-energy Electron Spectrometers (MES) is a space-borne instrument onboard Macao Science Satellite-1 (MSS-1) dedicated to monitoring the typical charged particle radiation characteristics in the satellite orbit and the process of their occurrence and development, including short bursts of lightning-induced electron precipitation (LEP). This paper presents the first results of the LEP measurements by the MSS-1. 47 LEP events are identified with the routine operation for 3 months since satellite launch, all within the range of 1.5< L <3.0 (where L represents the McIlwain L-parameter), and the causative lightning discharges are definitively geo-located for these LEP events. The LEP events occur within <1 s of the causative lightning and consist of 40–300 keV electrons. A preliminary observation result indicates that, with medium-energy electron detectors, MSS-1 can present in-situ observations of large regions of enhanced background precipitation and reveal their fine spatiotemporal characteristics and spectral signatures. The collaborative VLF ground-based measurements at the Great Wall Station, Antarctica also have a good correspondence with LEP measurements of MSS-1. The observations also imply that lightning activity has a modulation effect on the energetic electron energy-spatial structure.