Developing the low-energy ion spectrometer for the Chinese BeiDou-3 satellite

In our day by day lives, we depend on climate forecasts to know whether or not it’ll rain tomorrow. The monitoring and prediction of space climate reminiscent of geomagnetic storms and substorms are additionally important for the operation security of satellites outdoors the environment and the residing situations of astronauts in space. Nonetheless, space climate is way extra unpredictable than the climate on Earth, which is determined by in-situ measurements of plasma parameters by satellites.

A analysis group, led by Prof. Wang Yuming and Prof. Shan Xu from the College of Science and Know-how of China (USTC) of the Chinese language Academy of Sciences, developed a low-energy ion spectrometer (LEIS) onboard a Chinese language geosynchronous satellite, the BeiDou-3 satellite.

The LEIS is designed for measurement of the ion power per cost distribution with good energy-, angular-, and temporal-resolutions, which is useful for space climate monitoring and early warning. Not too long ago, the scientific knowledge acquired by the LEIS have been revealed in Science China Technological Sciences.

Beginning in 2012, the analysis group designed and realized the LEIS payload that meets the necessities of a magnetospheric mission. By means of simulation and experimental tests, the LEIS payload had been valuated and calibrated, and it was lastly completed in 2017. That earlier research was additionally revealed in Science China Technological Sciences and was favorably reviewed.

“It is rather encouraging to see the compact and succesful ion spectrometer developed by a Chinese language college. After evaluating the parameters of their instrument with related ones, this LEIS exhibits larger functionality than different spectrometers,” stated the reviewer.

Since 2018, the group has been engaged on the analysis and growth of LEIS for the BeiDou-3 satellite. Based mostly on the earlier payload, the researchers additional expanded the detection vary of the LEIS, improved its energy- and angular- resolutions, and decreased the ability dissipation, measurement, and weight of the payload. The BeiDou-3 satellite was efficiently launched in June 2020 with the LEIS onboard.

The observations of the LEIS payload present enhancements of ion fluxes, indicating the ion-ejection signatures from the notable storm or substorm and the related floor charging.

The quantitative knowledge of the differential power flux of ions are in line with the earlier outcomes of the Van-Allen Probes mission from NASA, proving that the LEIS is performing nicely. The reviewer noticed, “The outcomes are fairly fascinating, and the acquired scientific knowledge are essential in finding out the magnetospheric ion dynamics in addition to monitoring space environment.”

The profitable measurements by the LEIS present perception into the magnetospheric ion dynamics associated to the outer radiation belt, taking a brand new step in direction of higher understanding and predicting space climate.