Numerical simulation of ionospheric depletions resulting from rocket launches using a general circulation model

Rocket exhaust plumes have been observed to cause large-scale depletions of ionospheric plasmas ("ionospheric holes"). In the F-region, charge exchange reactions occur between O^+ ions and exhaust species such as H\(_2\)O, H\(_2\), and CO\(_2\) to form ions which then undergo rapid dissoci...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2020-01
Main Authors: Bowden, G W, Lorrain, P, Brown, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Charge exchange
Chemical reactions
Commercial spacecraft
Computer simulation
Depletion
F region
General circulation models
Global navigation satellite system
Ion recombination
Ionosondes
Ionosphere
Launch vehicles
Mathematical models
Organic chemistry
Plasmas (physics)
Plumes
Rocket exhaust
Rocket launches
Rockets
Thermosphere
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Summary:Rocket exhaust plumes have been observed to cause large-scale depletions of ionospheric plasmas ("ionospheric holes"). In the F-region, charge exchange reactions occur between O^+ ions and exhaust species such as H\(_2\)O, H\(_2\), and CO\(_2\) to form ions which then undergo rapid dissociative recombination. The Global Ionosphere-Thermosphere Model (GITM) was extended to include these chemical reactions and appropriate source terms to represent rocket exhaust plumes. The resulting model was applied to ionospheric depletions resulting from the launches of Jason-3 and FORMOSAT-5 on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Outputs from the model were compared with GNSS, ionosonde, and satellite Langmuir probe measurements. Simulation indicated that the FORMOSAT-5 launch resulted in a far larger and longer-lived ionospheric depletion than the Jason-3 launch, consistent with observations.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.2001.07019