Ionosphere – Thermosphere Miniaturized Sensor Development at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has developed a wide range of miniaturized sensors for measuring various parameters the ionosphere-thermosphere (IT) system. The NRL Space Science Division has a long history of developing novel IT space flight hardware, both remote-sensing and in situ. The Triple-Tiny Ionospheric Photometer (Tri-TIP) measures ionospheric density on the nightside and Triple Magnesium Ion Photometer (Tri-MIP) measures Sporadic-E on the dayside. Both of these remote sensing instruments will soon launch on multiple spaceflight missions: the CIRCE CubeSat Mission, the Slingshot-1 CubeSat mission, and the ECLIPSE experiment on the International Space Station. In addition to the photometers, the GNSS Orbital Situational Awareness Sensor (GOSAS) is a programmable, dual GPS receiver that is being developed for an upcoming CubeSat mission. The Wind Ion Neutral Composition Suite (WINCS) instrument recently flew on the NASA Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) collecting in situ neutral composition measurements in Earth’s thermosphere. Finally, the Laser-sheet Anomaly Resolution and Debris Observation (LARADO) experiment has been developed as an on-orbit orbital debris tracking system. New developments are currently underway at NRL to extend the usability of these sensors for additional parameters, different environments and new mission concepts.