Introduction to special section on Double Star-Cluster Coordinated Studies on Magnetospheric Dynamic Processes

摘要

The Double Star Program (DSP) is not only the first Chinese scientific satellite program but also the first collaborative mission between the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) [Liu et al., 2005]. This mission consists of two spacecraft, designed to investigate magnetospheric, global dynamic processes, and their response to solar wind-forcing and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) disturbances, in conjunction with the previously launched four-satellite ESA Cluster Mission (Figure 1). The first spacecraft of DSP, called in Chinese “Tan Ce –1” (TC-1–Explorer-1), was launched successfully by a Chinese Long March 2C rocket at 2006 CET on 29 December 2003, into an elliptical orbit with perigee height of 550 km and apogee of 66,970 km, and inclined at 28.5 degrees to the equator (orbital period 27.4 h). TC-2 was launched also by a Chinese Long March 2C rocket at 1515 CET on 25 July 2004 into a polar orbit, having a perigee height of 700 km and apogee height of 39,000 km, with a period of 11.7 h.