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LAICE [UoI]
LAICE (Lower Atmosphere/Ionosphere Coupling Experiment) is a 6U cubesat mission for upper atmospheric research designed and built by the department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The LAICE mission has two goals:
- To demonstrate a unique magnetic torqueing altitude control system that constrains the satellite in a fixed altitude.
- To demonstrate and acquire in situ measurements of neutral and ion density properties in the altitude region from 150 to 325 kilometers; and to remotely sense wave parameters between 90 and 100 kilometers as the waves move upward from the lower atmosphere into the ionosphere.
The LAICE project hopes to reveal new information about the neutral ion coupling processes in the 150 to 325 kilometer atmospheric region. The phenomenon has led to ionospheric instabilities that disrupt communication and global positioning system (GPS) signals.
A follow-on mission called LAICE-F is planned for 2024.
| Nation: | USA |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Ionosphere |
| Operator: | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Aerospace Engineering |
| Contractors: | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Aerospace Engineering |
| Equipment: | |
| Configuration: | CubeSat (6U) |
| Propulsion: | None |
| Power: | Solar cells, batteries |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | |
| Orbit: | 400 km Ũ 400 km, 51.6° (typical) |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAICE | - | 20xx | with ? |
References:
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Aerospace Engineering: NASA to Launch Two Small AE Satellites
