Splinter - Advanced Thermosphere Modelling for Orbit Prediction (ATMOP)

Sanchez Ortiz, Noelia - DEIMOS Space, SPAIN
Friday November 22nd, 2013, 13:30-15:00

The Advanced Thermosphere Modelling for Orbit Prediction (ATMOP) research FP7 project aims at building a new thermosphere model with the potential to spawn an operational version. It will enable precise air drag computation, which is mandatory for improved survey and precise tracking of objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and the initiation of appropriate measures to minimise risks to satellites (tracking loss, collisions) and ground assets (re-entry zone). The ATMOP project addresses the following objectives

• Defining and assessing new proxies to describe the external forcing of the thermosphere;
• Developing an advanced semi-empirical Drag Temperature Model (DTM) that meets the requirements for operational orbit computations;
• Improving physical modelling of the thermosphere to assist the development of the advanced DTM and of a global physical model with data assimilation capabilities, which may ultimately become the successor to semi-empirical models;
• Developing schemes for near-real-time assimilation of thermospheric and ionospheric data into an advanced predictive DTM and into the physical Coupled Middle Atmosphere-Thermosphere (CMAT2) model. The outcome of this activity will be presented.

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