A Space Weather Information Service Based Upon Remote and In-Situ\n Measurements of Coronal Mass Ejections Heading for Earth

Abstract

The Earth's magnetosphere is formed as a consequence of interaction between\nthe planet's magnetic field and the solar wind, a continuous plasma stream from\nthe Sun. A number of different solar wind phenomena have been studied over the\npast forty years with the intention of understanding and forecasting solar\nbehavior. One of these phenomena in particular, Earth-bound interplanetary\ncoronal mass ejections (CMEs), can significantly disturb the Earth's\nmagnetosphere for a short time and cause geomagnetic storms. This publication\npresents a mission concept consisting of six spacecraft that are equally spaced\nin a heliocentric orbit at 0.72 AU. These spacecraft will monitor the plasma\nproperties, the magnetic field's orientation and magnitude, and the\n3D-propagation trajectory of CMEs heading for Earth. The primary objective of\nthis mission is to increase space weather (SW) forecasting time by means of a\nnear real-time information service, that is based upon in-situ and remote\nmeasurements of the aforementioned CME properties. The mission's secondary\nobjective is to provide vital data to update scientific models. In-situ\nmeasurements are performed using a Solar Wind Analyzer instrumentation package\nand flux gate magnetometers, while coronagraphs execute remote measurements.\nCommunication with the six identical spacecraft is realized via a deep space\nnetwork consisting of six ground stations. They provide an information service\nthat is in uninterrupted contact with the spacecraft, allowing for continuous\nSW monitoring. The data will be handled by a dedicated processing center before\nbeing forwarded to the SSA Space Weather Coordination Center who will manage\nthe SW forecasting. The data processing center will additionally archive the\ndata for the scientific community. The proposed concept mission allows for\nmajor advances in SW forecasting time and the scientific modelling of SW.\n