BackForwardInstrument:  ESEP 

Instrument details
Acronym ESEP
Full name Ionospheric plasma energy spectrometer
Purpose Spectrometry of the plasma components in the ionosphere
Short description Description not available. Presumably, spectroscopy of electrons, protons, alpha-particles and ions (Z from 3 to 26) in the energy range 1-50 keV or keV/n
Background Part of the instrument package carried by 4 satellites of the 5-satellite Ionozonde constellation
Scanning Technique Magnetosphere scanned by a cluster of four satellites in sunsynchronous orbit
Resolution N/A
Coverage / Cycle Full ionospheric volume
Mass Power Data Rate

 

Providing Agency Roscosmos
Instrument Maturity Flown on an R&D satellite
Utilization Period: 2024 to 2032
Last update: 2021-12-16
Detailed characteristics
Satellites this instrument is flying on

Note: a red tag indicates satellites no longer operational, a green tag indicates operational satellites, a blue tag indicates future satellites

Instrument classification
  • Solar and space environment monitors
  • Energetic particle spectrometer
WIGOS Subcomponents
  • Subcomponent 1
  • In-situ plasma probes, and energetic particle spectrometers and magnetometers at GEO and LEO, and magnetic field at GEO
  • Electron sensor at LEO
  • Proton sensor at LEO
  • Alpha-particle sensor at LEO
  • Heavy ion sensor at LEO
  • Plasma density sensor at LEO
  • Plasma temperature sensor at LEO
  • Plasma velocity sensor at LEO
  • Subcomponent 3
  • Neutral and Ion Mass Spectrometer
  • Heavy ions mass spectrometer [from LEO and HEO]
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
  • Alpha particles differential directional flux
  • Electron differential directional flux
  • Heavy ion flux energy and mass spectrum
  • Proton differential directional flux
Evaluation of Measurements

The following list indicates which measurements can typically be retrieved from this category of instrument. To see a full Gap Analysis by Variable, click on the respective variable.

Note: table can be sorted by clicking on the column headers
Note: * Primary mission objective.
VariableRelevance for measuring this variableOperational limitationsExplanation
Electron differential directional flux*3 - highNo specific limitation.Interplanetary space, low and medium energy (up to 400 keV)
Proton differential directional flux*3 - highNo specific limitation.Interplanetary space, low and medium energy (up to 1000 keV)
Alpha particles differential directional flux*1 - primaryNo specific limitation.Sun-pointing. Low-medium energy range (<10 up to 100 MeV/n)
Solar wind density1 - primaryNo specific limitation.Interplanetary space. Infrerred from Proton. Electron and Alpha-particle spectroscopy
Solar wind temperature1 - primaryNo specific limitation.Interplanetary space. Infrerred from Proton. Electron and Alpha-particle spectroscopy
Solar wind velocity1 - primaryNo specific limitation.Interplanetary space. Infrerred from Proton. Electron and Alpha-particle spectroscopy
Heavy ion flux energy and mass spectrum*3 - highNo specific limitation.Sun-pointing. Low-medium energy range (<10 up to 100 MeV/n)