Test of Langmuir Probes Developed for the CubeSat LINK

Abstract

We develop Langmuir probes with different gains to measure the electron density in the lower ionosphere and thermosphere at altitudes of 200 - 380 km on board a CubeSat. These probes sweep over a wide range of voltage, but the data are acquired mostly in the electron saturation region, from which the electron density is calculated. The frequency of the voltage sweep is set at a high level (10 Hz) to reduce the effect of probe contamination. The probes are tested and calibrated in a laboratory chamber that simulates plasma densities similar to those of the lower ionosphere. We report here the measurement principles, system architecture, and test results.