Comparisons of Energetic Electron Observations between FIREBIRD-II
CubeSats and POES/MetOp Satellites from 2018-2020
Abstract
Precipitation into the atmosphere is one of the main processes by which
high energy electrons trapped in Earth’s inner magnetosphere are lost
from the system. Precipitating electrons can affect the chemical
composition of the atmosphere and provide insight into the complex
dynamics of the Van Allen radiation belts.
This study compares energetic electron precipitation measurements at
low-Earth-orbit by the Focused Investigations of Relativistic Electron
Burst Intensity, Range, and Dynamics (FIREBIRD-II) CubeSats with NOAA
Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) and ESA
Meteorological Operational satellite (MetOp) satellites, which are
equipped with the Medium-Energy Proton Electron Detector (MEPED). The
analysis considers 51 high quality conjunction events during times of
low to moderate geomagnetic activity. The spacecraft capture similar
electron flux variability, and FIREBIRD-II observations fall between
POES/MetOp 0 and 90 degree telescopes, likely a result of FIREBIRD-II
sampling both precipitating and mirrored electrons due to uncertainties
in pointing direction. Results demonstrate the value of high-resolution
differential energy observations of electron precipitation by low-cost
CubeSats such as FIREBIRD-II, especially during periods of low flux.