NITTANYSAT—A STUDENT SATELLITE MISSION FOR D-REGION STUDY AND CALIBRATION OF RIOMETERS

NittanySat is a nanosatellite currently under development that will be used to study variations in the D-region ionosphere and to provide calibration for ground-based riometers. The D-region will be investigated using measurements of the total ionospheric absorption of HF signals at three four?? frequencies transmitted from the ground to this small polar-orbiting satellite. The larger signal loss observed at the lower frequencies is due to ionospheric absorption and, thus, is comparable to what a riometer measures. The possibility for measuring at high latitude stations in Norway and Alaska will provide opportunities to study the D-region variations during geophysically active periods. Design considerations and initial simulations are presented. NittanySat is a participant in the 5th University Nanosatellite Program, which was established to train students in satellite systems. 1