Toward Improved Physics-Based Simulations of the LEO Space Environment using GNSS-Enabled Small Satellites | CU Experts

Satellite-atmosphere interactions cause large uncertainties in low-Earth; orbit determination and prediction. Thus, knowledge of and the ability; to predict the space environment, most notably thermospheric mass; density, are essential for operating satellites in this domain. Recent; progress has been made toward supplanting the existing empirical,; operational methods with physics-based data-assimilative models by; accounting for the complex relationship between external drivers and; their response in the upper atmosphere. Simultaneously, a new era of; CubeSat constellations is set to provide data with which to calibrate; our upper-atmosphere models at higher resolution and cadence. With this; in mind, we provide an initial method for converting precision orbit; determination (POD) solutions from global navigation satellite system; (GNSS) enabled CubeSats into timeseries of thermospheric mass density.; This information is then fused with a physics-based, data-assimilative; technique to provide calibrated global densities.

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