Miniaturized Nightglow Interferometer for Monitoring Emissions from a CubeSat

Michigan Aerospace Corporation proposes to design and construct an engineering model version of a remote-sensing instrument, based around a Fabry-Perot interferometer, for sensing thermospheric winds and temperatures from anbsp;CubeSat-class satellite.nbsp;This instrument will provide an important, relatively inexpensive and compact means for measuring important elements of the state of the thermosphere, with implications for improving space weather observations and forecasts and improving the modeling of the solar/terrestrial interaction. A relatively low-cost instrument on a cubesat allows for the possibility of multiple satellites in various orbit to obtain a more complete picture of the thermosphere than currently available from single platforms for a reasonable cost. Michigan Aerospacersquo;s extensive experience with Fabry-Perot interferometers and sensor systems based on them, including for thermospheric sensing, will help pave the path towards this programrsquo;s success.