U.S. Air Force's SMC/XR Space Environmental NanoSat Experiment

摘要

The Development Planning Directorate at the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC/XR) is assessing the utility of NanoSatellites for performing operational space weather missions. The directorate is leading a demonstration called the Space Environmental NanoSatellite Experiment (SENSE) that will enhance the field of Space Environmental Monitoring (SEM) and contribute to the Utah State University Global Assimilation of Ionospheric Measurements (USU-GAIM). The SENSE architecture consists of two 3U CubeSats and supporting ground segment. The space vehicles carry a combined suite of three SEM payloads designed to characterize total electron content (TEC) and ionospheric scintillation, ion and neutral winds composition, and ionospheric UV nightglow. This paper summarizes the status of the SENSE program, providing an overview of SENSE bus and payload as well as the acquisitions timeline and strategy for the mission.