IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination
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IARU Amateur Satellite Frequency Coordination |
| INCA - Ionospheric Neutron Content Analyzer | Updated: 27 Oct 2017 | Responsible Operator | Steven Stochaj n/a | |
| Supporting Organisation | New Mexico State University NanoSat Lab | |||
| Contact Person | sstochaj@nmsu.edu.nospam | |||
| Headline Details: The Ionospheric Neutron Content Analyzer (INCA) is a 3U CubeSat being built by students at New Mexico State University carrying a scintillator - silicon photomultiplier-based neutron detector being built by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The INCA mission will, for the first time, study the latitude and time dependencies of the neutron spectrum in low Earth orbit (LEO). INCA will focus on albedo neutrons; however, the instrumentation will also be sensitive to solar neutrons. Albedo neutrons, produced via interaction of high-energy cosmic rays and solar particles with molecules in the upper atmosphere, represent a hazard for spacecraft as they can pass through most shielding, and can cause single event effects (SEE’s) in electronics. Since neutron flux is believed to be dependent on latitude and solar activity, the use of current models presents a risk for spacecraft in LEO. The data acquired from the INCA mission will help to expand space weather models and contribute to further understanding of the radiation belts. Planning a 24 month mission from Dec 2017 with a Virgin Galactic launch into a 500 km circular orbit with a 90 deg inclination. Proposing a UHF 200kbps MSK downlink on UHF. Expecting to share the launch with CACTUS-1 MiTEE, PICS A, B, PolarCube, CAPE-3, QPACE, RadFXSat-2, ExoCube, ALBus, MicroMAS 2B and SHFT-2 ** A downlink on 437.125 MHz has been coordinated** | ||||
| Application Date: | 23 May 2017 | Freq coordination completed on | 26 Oct 2017 | |
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