Novel Global Navigation Satellite System Receiver for Characterization of Ionospheric Scintillation and Plasma Bubbles With a Cubesat Swarm

Ionospheric scintillation and equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) are phenomena related to turbulence and depletion in the plasmas in the ionosphere. EPBs are depletions in the plasma density in the equatorial region in the post-sunset period. These depletions can lead to turbulent irregularities in the amplitude and phase of communications signals, called scintillation. Scintillation also occurs in the polar regions, where it is caused by particle precipitation and convection. EPBs and scintillation in low- and high- latitudes both have an impact on the quality and availability of space-based communication and navigation systems which leads to a high demand for observations from science and operational users such as US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the US Space Force (USSF). Global Navigation Satellite System radio occultation (GNSS-RO) receivers on board Low Earth Orbit (LEO) spacecraft utilize navigation signals, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), to characterize ionospheric properties including EPBs and scintillation. A novel GNSS-RO receiver system is being developed to be deployed on a future coordinated swarm of nanosats in order to address scientific knowledge gaps around scintillation and EPBs. The payload is designed utilizing mainly commercial off-the-shelf components commonly used on spacecraft navigation systems. The instrument is to be integrated onto 1.5U spacecraft and primarily focuses on measuring amplitude and phase scintillation. The mission would consist of a “swarm” of spacecraft, a key to the novel-ness of the mission. Numerous spacecraft would be launched simultaneously and then distributed into an overlapping sensor net, with all spacecraft capable of communicating and coordinating with one another on-orbit. This would create the ability to make 3D measurements of the location of scintillation (currently only 2D measurements can be made), the dimensional and temporal extent of EPBs, and potentially even perform localized tomography of scintillating regions. These measurements would represent a significant step forward in ionospheric knowledge, enhancing science, informing future operational mission architectures, and enhancing smallsat RO payload designs.