CASSIOPE's ePOP probe will study upper atmosphere

CASSIOPE (preliminary design)

With the design of the small hybrid satellite CASSIOPE, scheduled for launch in 2007, Canada has embarked on a great adventure. The satellite will include the telecommunications instrument Cascade, which will provide the very first digital broadband courier service for commercial use, and the scientific payload ePOP (enhanced polar outflow probe), which will be used to study the ionosphere.

A beneficial hybrid satellite

The ePOP probe will include a suite of eight scientific instruments, including plasma imagers, radio wave receivers, magnetometers and cameras. These will collect data about the effects of solar storms and, more specifically, their harmful impact on radio communications, satellite navigation and other space-based technologies. ePOP's resolution will surpass that of all other orbiting satellites. It will be capable of studying space phenomena in the upper atmosphere, where the solar wind interacts with the Earth's magnetic field.

Aurora borealis result from solar storms. The ePOP probe will study the impact on communications networks. (Photo: © Jouni Joussila)

ePOP will benefit greatly from having Cascade as its travel companion. Cascade will provide it with information storage and downlink capacity for data intended for Canadian researchers. The daily transmission volume will be about 15 gigabytes.

Cascade will pick up large digital data files and deliver them to almost any destination in the world. This service will support the efficient transfer of these huge files, equivalent to 50 to 500 pickup trucks filled with paper.

Small and versatile

Thanks to miniaturization, CASSIOPE's hexagonal platform will measure only 180 cm long, and 125 cm high. It costs much less to construct and launch several small satellite than one giant one. This means that the satellites achieve their scientific or commercial objectives at a more reasonable cost. The new platform produced for the CASSIOPE mission will also be versatile: it will be possible to adapt and use it for various missions involving science, technology, Earth observation, geologic exploration and information delivery. The ePOP project is directed by Professor Andrew Yau of the University of Calgary, and the team is comprised of researchers and engineers from seven Canadian universities. The Communications Research Centre, located in Ottawa, as well as the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science of Japan and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory are also partners in the project.

RealPlayer, 412 Kb or AVI, 38 Mb This animation illustrates the functioning of CASSIOPE: the satellite (the design shown is preliminary). It will capture signals from Earth-based antennas and transfer them to reception stations. Eventually, CASSIOPE could be part of a satellite network that would probe the planet.

Moreover, CASSIOPE benefits from a solid partnership between the private and public sectors. The satellite platform will be constructed by Bristol Aerospace, based in Winnipeg. Vancouver's MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) will be the project's prime contractor and will direct a group of Canadian companies with a view to developing terrestrial and space-based infrastructures and operating the satellite.

Data from the ePOP probe will be captured by the CSA's ground station in Longueuil, and data from Cascade, by MDA's receiving station in Halifax. The information will then be transmitted to scientists at the University of Calgary and the MDA team, respectively.