The scientific satellite for monitoring the mechanisms of interaction "interplanetary space-magnetosphere-ionosphere".
Creation of the satellite is planned by the National Space Program for 2008-2012.
The satellite is intended to investigate and predict the space weather (bursts of solar activity and explosion - like energy releases in the Earth's magnetosphere) with the aim of ensuring the serviceability of today's technical systems (space communication, navigation means et al.).
The space weather forecast will allow to solve the following problems in the vital activity of today's industrial society:
- malfunctions of satellite equipment caused by increased flows of penetrating radiation and anomalous surface discharges;
- changes of satellite orbits because of atmosphere inflation;
- increase in radiation load on the astronauts and crews of high-altitude aircraft;
- malfunctions and interference in the communication, radar, navigation systems;
- increased interference and spurious currents in the pipelines, cables, electric power supply lines, railway lines in near-polar latitudes;
- worsening of health of the people with increased sensitivity to external factors (cardiovascular diseases et al.);
- change of the conditions and characteristics of ionosphere and the Earth's upper atmosphere, other factor which may have possible impact on the environmental conditions, ozone layer, climate.
The satellite platform is developed taking into account the today's requirements to scientific platforms:
- multipoint measurement with the help of identical instruments;
- maximal possible electromagnetic purity of the platform;
- separation of passive and active methods of measurement between different satellites;
- precise coordinate referencing;
- high information capacity and high rate of telemetry.
Creation of orbital group consisting of several satellites on the same altitude in one orbital plane is planned on the basis of the platform. Propulsion system included in the satellite platform allows to form and maintain the spatial structure of satellite group ensuring effectiveness of scientific experiment performance. The low-orbit ballistic group of several satellites in combination with the use of onground means will ensure periodic global nature of measurements.
The set of scientific experiment:
- -a fluxgate magnetometer;
- a Langmuir electric probe;
- an inductive probe;
- a driftmeter;
- a solar photometer;
- a Langmuir probe;
- energy-angular spectrometers;
- a medium energy electrons and protons spectrometer;
- a thermal and super-thermal plasma mass-spectrometer;
- a pulse generator of resonance frequencies;
- a generator of coherent frequencies;
- a receiver of impulse signals of plasma resonance;
- a receiver of coherent frequencies from radio transmission;
- a sensor of high-energy particles;
- an X-ray photometer.