BackForwardInstrument:  SESS/SSJ5  

Instrument details
Acronym SESS/SSJ5
Full name SESS / Special Sensor Precipitating Electron and Ion Spectrometer
Purpose Measurement of transfer energy, mass, and momentum of charged particles through the magnetosphere-ionosphere in the Earth's magnetic field
Short description Electrostatic analyzer for electron, protons and alpha-particles in the energy range 0.03-30 keV
Background Part of the SESS (Space Environment Sensor Suite) package. Follow-on of SEM/SSJ4 flown on previous DMSP satellites
Scanning Technique N/A (in-situ in the platform environment)
Resolution N/A
Coverage / Cycle N/A
Mass Power Data Rate

 

Providing Agency DoD
Instrument Maturity Flown on operational programme
Utilization Period: 2004 to 2025
Last update: 2021-11-13
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
  • Plasma density sensor at LEO
  • Plasma temperature sensor at LEO
  • Plasma velocity sensor at LEO
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
  • Alpha particles differential directional flux
  • Electron differential directional flux
  • 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*4 - fairNo specific limitation.Sun pointing, low energy (up to 40 keV)
Proton differential directional flux*4 - fairNo specific limitation.Sun pointing, low energy (up to 40 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.Solar viewing. Infrerred from Proton. Electron and Alpha-particle spectroscopy
Solar wind temperature1 - primaryNo specific limitation.Solar viewing. Infrerred from Proton. Electron and Alpha-particle spectroscopy
Solar wind velocity1 - primaryNo specific limitation.Solar viewing. Infrerred from Proton. Electron and Alpha-particle spectroscopy