CIRCE satellite
CIRCE (Coordinated Ionospheric Reconstruction Cubesat Experiment) is a collaborative space mission between the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)
Participants
CIRCE (Coordinated Ionospheric Reconstruction Cubesat Experiment) is a collaborative space mission between the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). Two 6U cube-satellites, each the size of a cereal box, will operate in near-polar Low Earth Orbit at an altitude of 555km in a string-of-pearls configuration. The UK contribution to CIRCE is the Insitu and Remote Ionospheric Sensing (IRIS) suite, complementary to NRL sensors and comprising three highly miniaturised payloads developed for Dstl by University College London (UCL), University of Bath, and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), drawing on expertise from the University of Surrey.
Purpose
CIRCE will characterise a region of the space environment, the ionosphere, which is important for a range of defence and civil applications and can impact GPS, communications, and sensing technology – both in space and on the ground.
Responsible Launch
Understanding space weather is crucial to the safe operation of satellites. Solar flares and geomagnetic storms can severely impact satellites in space, as highlighted by the loss of 38 Space X Starlink satellites in February 2022, shortly after launch.
Also in this launch
