Description

Ionospheric Tomography

Description: A chain of five satellite receivers observes signals from the Russian Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. Two signals transmitted coherently at frequencies 150 MHz and 400 MHz are received and their phase difference is used to calculate the ionospheric electron density by means of statistical inversion. The results are shown in terms of electron density plots in a vertical plane above the receiver chain. In an ideal case the satellite flies along the chain. If this is not the case, the plot is a projection from regions outside the vertical plane. In order to estimate the validity of the results, check the satellite path in each case.  

Method (pdf)

Satellites/Transmitters: Russian LEO satellites called as Tsykada. Codes presented on the main page response planes of the satellites. Details of the used satellites, active are marked as bold.

Code	Plane	USSPACECOM code	Int. code	Satellite
101	1	28380	2004-028-A	COSMOS 2407
102	2	27818	2003-023-A	COSMOS 2398
103	3	35635	2009-039-A	COSMOS 2454
104	4	28521	2005-002-A	COSMOS 2414
105	5	32052 (25590)	2007-038A (1998-076-A)	COSMOS 2429 (COSMOS 2361)
106	6	26818	2001-023-A	COSMOS 2378

 

Operation of the chain: Continuous operation started on January 1, 2003.

Receiver sites and the hosts:

Tromsø (TRO: 69.66°N, 18.94°E, L=6.5): CLOSED
The Auroral Observatory, University of Tromsø, Norway

Kilpisjärvi (KIL: 69.02°N, 20.86°E, L=6.1): CLOSED
SGO's site station, Kilpisjärvi, Finland

Kiruna (KIR: 67.84°N, 20.41°E, L=5.6):
Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF), Kiruna, Sweden

Luleå (LUL: 65.58° N, 22.17°E, L=4.7): CLOSED
Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden

Kokkola (KOK: 63.83°N, 23.06°E, L=4.2):
Keski-Pohjanmaan Ammattikorkeakoulu, Tekniikan yksikkö, Kokkola, Finland 

Nurmijärvi (NUR: 60.51°N, 24.65°E, L=3.4):
Finnish Meteorological Institute, Nurmijärvi Geophysical Observatory, Nurmijärvi, Finland 

L-values of station calculated according to Gustafsson 2000, altitude 100km (IGRF 85).