The Micro‐Broadband Receiver (μBBR) on the Very‐Low‐Frequency Propagation Mapper CubeSat
Abstract
The very low frequency (VLF) propagation mapper (VPM) is a 6U CubeSat designed to measure VLF radio waves in Low‐Earth Orbit. The science goals of the VPM mission are to measure VLF signals broadcast by the DSX mission, and to study natural and anthropogenic signals (from lightning and VLF transmitters) in the near‐Earth space environment. The primary payload consists of an electric field dipole antenna deployed to 2 meters in length, and a magnetic search coil deployed 50 cm from the spacecraft. Signals from these two sensors are conditioned by analog electronics, sampled, and then processed digitally into downloadable data products. The VPM mission was launched in January 2020; science operations began in March 2020 and continued through September, when contact with the spacecraft was lost. This paper describes the mission goals and instrument designs in detail, as well as some examples of the VPM data set.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 2021
- Source ID
- 10.1029/2021ea001951
Entities
People
- A Sousa
- Daniel Ramos
- Gordon Wilson
- Ivan Linscott
- J. O. Ballenthin
- James Patton
- Joseph Coombs
- Judy Fennelly
- M. Starks
- Riley Reid
- Robert Marshall
- Ron Kay
- Steven Quigley
- Umran Savaş İnan
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory
- Koç University
- Stanford University
- University of Colorado Boulder