BackForwardInstrument:  Pyxis-RO 

Instrument details
Acronym Pyxis-RO
Full name Pyxis-RO
Purpose Temperature/humidity sounding with highest vertical resolution, space weather
Short description

Measuring the phase delay due to refraction during occultation between GPS and LEO

Background

Consolidated technology

Scanning Technique

Limb scanning from 600 km to close-to-surface by time sampling - Azimuth: 90° sectors fore- and aft-

Resolution About 300 km horizontal, 0.5 km vertical
Coverage / Cycle 4 GNSS constellations tracked. About 2500 soundings/day (about 50,000 soundings/day with 20 satellites) - Average spacing 450 km - Global coverage (300 km spacing) in 2.5 days.
Mass Power Data Rate

 

Providing Agency PlanetiQ
Instrument Maturity Backed by strong heritage
Utilization Period: 2020 to 2028
Last update: 2024-03-04
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
  • Earth observation instrument
  • Active and radio-occultation sensor
  • GNSS radio-occultation
WIGOS Subcomponents
  • Subcomponent 2
  • Magnetospheric energetic particles and magnetometers
  • Ionospheric total electron content sensor [at LEO and cross magnetosphere]
  • Ionospheric electron density sensor [in LEO and cross magnetosphere]
  • Subcomponent 4
  • GNSS radio occultation (commercial)
  • GNSS radio occultation constellation (commercial)
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
  • Atmospheric temperature
  • Height of the top of PBL
  • Height of the tropopause
  • Ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC)
  • Specific humidity
  • Temperature of the tropopause
Evaluation of Measurements