EGO-XO: Nanosats For Advanced Gravity Mapping And Crosslink Occultation

NASA Funded: GRACE follow on, CLARREO NASA Unfunded: NASA would have the opportunity to integrate the GeoOptics radio occultation system into low earth satellites to increase atmospheric data sets for Improved gravity mapping (by 10X), double the altitude limit on existing refraction-based RO, provide next-generation absorption-based XO to measure trace gases (such as for a CLARREO climate mission) ” OGA: Agencies such as NOAA would have great interest in larger volume of more accurate radio occultation data for atmospheric modeling and forecasting. NASA, NOAA, the Air Force Weather Agency, and AF space weather program (SSAEM) have all published lists of the satellite products they seek over the next decade and RO data sets are on those lists. Industry: A low cost LEO crosslink occultation (XO) system for sensing moisture, ozone, and other trace gasses could provide business case for the sale of real time occultation data for weather forecasting and other time critical enterprises. Nation: Improved weather and climate forecasting enabled by this system will provide significant long term benefits to the nation. The sale of real-time data sets could provide significant income to US companies. More »