The Initial Assessment of Ionospheric Radio Occultation Data of MSS‐1 Satellite and Its Applications in Scintillation Exploration

Abstract The Macau Science Satellites (MSS‐1) mission, consisting of twin low earth orbit satellites (Satellite A and B), is the first low‐inclination and high‐precision geomagnetic surveying satellite project in China. Among the multiple scientific payloads equipped with the scientific satellites,...

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Published inEarth and space science (Hoboken, N.J.) Vol. 11; no. 9
Main Authors Wu, M. J., Yue, H. Y., Guo, P., Ma, X., Li, H. G., Dong, J. J., Zuo, F. F.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Hoboken John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.09.2024
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Subjects
Antennas
Data processing
Earth orbits
Ground stations
Ionosphere
ionospheric scintillation
Low earth orbit satellites
MSS‐1
Payloads
radio occultation
Receivers & amplifiers
Satellites
Seasonal variations
south Atlantic anomaly
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Summary:Abstract The Macau Science Satellites (MSS‐1) mission, consisting of twin low earth orbit satellites (Satellite A and B), is the first low‐inclination and high‐precision geomagnetic surveying satellite project in China. Among the multiple scientific payloads equipped with the scientific satellites, MSS‐1 carries a GNSS radio occultation (RO) receiver on Satellite A, and aims to observe the Earth's ionosphere and monitor the space weather especially in the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) area. This paper focuses on the ionospheric data of MSS‐1 obtained during the first 3 months after its launch, and assesses the RO products as well as initial scintillation measurements. Results show that MSS‐1 RO data have very good agreement with contemporary COSMIC‐2 and ionosonde observations. The scintillation amplitude indices S4 are comparable with that of COSMIC‐2 and well reflect the occurrence rates and distributions of equatorial plasma bubble and sporadic E (Es) in June solstice season. Special attentions are paid to the SAA longitude sector and inspire explorations on the seasonal variations and local‐time dependences of ionospheric irregularities. Key Points The MSS‐1 ionospheric radio occultation products are comparable with COSMIC‐2 and ionosondes Scintillation characteristics in the June solstice season are well reflected based on MSS‐1 high‐rate measurements
ISSN:2333-5084
2333-5084
DOI:10.1029/2024EA003695