Developing a sounding rocket program for in-situ high-latitude ionospheric plasma measurements during auroral events

As navigable Arctic waterways open, competition for resources in this emerging domain requires understanding the influence of the space weather environment on operations through its creation of plasma turbulence affecting the uncertainty of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) precision positioning solutions. Current data and popular methods utilizing incoherent scatter radars (ISRs) and complementary remote sensing capabilities to understand ionospheric plasma turbulence do not provide fidelity for operational requirements. The results of a feasibility study to launch cadet designed and built sounding rockets hosting cadet designed and built payloads like a Langmuir Probe to conduct in-situ plasma measurements in the D and E Region of the ionosphere will be presented. The Space Engineering and Applied Research (SPEAR) capstone course at the United States Military Academy (USMA) has been dedicated to breaching the Karmen Line since its inception in 2021. The Space Weather Operations Research Division (SWORD) has focused on analyzing ionospheric plasma effects in the artic regions since 2017.  In development is a coherent vision that will synchronize space related cadet research projects across the USMA to accomplish scientific missions.