BackForwardInstrument:  STRATOS 

Instrument details
Acronym STRATOS
Full name STRATOS
Purpose Temperature/humidity sounding with highest vertical resolution and space weather (TEC).
Short description

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

Consolidated technology
Scanning Technique

Limb scanning from 400 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 3 GNSS constellations tracked. About 18000 soundings/day - Global coverage (300 km spacing) in 2 weeks but this improves as more satellites are launched.
Mass Power Data Rate

 

Providing Agency SPIRE
Instrument Maturity Flown on operational programme
Utilization Period: 2016 to 2040
Last update: 2024-06-03
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 density
  • Atmospheric temperature
  • Electron Density
  • Height of the top of PBL
  • Height of the tropopause
  • Ionospheric Scintillation
  • Ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC)
  • Specific humidity
  • Temperature of the tropopause
Evaluation of Measurements