E-TBEx Satellites

Study how the dynamics and processes in the troposphere can cause variability in the behavior of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere.

Tandem pair of CubeSats, each carrying tri-frequency radio beacons, in near identical, low inclination orbits and a cluster of diagnostic sensors on five islands in the Central Pacific sector.

The science objectives and goals of TBEx are to study how the dynamics and processes in the troposphere can act to cause variability in the behavior of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere. Improve the understanding of the role of atmospheric gravity waves on the formation of equatorial plasma bubbles. Plasma bubbles are when unstable regions of the ionosphere produce anomalous regions of higher-than-normal electron density that can be tens of kilometers across. The bubbles rise up to 1,000 meters altitude, and can disrupt communication.

Radio instabilities prevented the satellites from contacting MXL’s FXB station, since the satellites were not transmitting over the FXB, though they were beaconing over other locations. The ability to observe the satellites using stations elsewhere on the planet directly enabled the recovery of the spacecraft by allowing the MXL team to confirm the spacecraft was alive, identify the anomaly causing the spacecraft radio software to crash, and finally to correct it.