In a significant effort to accurately model the near-Earth space, researchers have developed a novel approach to reconstruct the topside ionosphere over India. This integration of ground and space-based observations is pivotal for satellite operations, communication systems, and navigation services.
The ionosphere is a complex, ionized part of the upper atmosphere influencing radio wave propagation, especially in the high-frequency (HF) band. Variations in electron density can affect satellite navigation systems like GPS and India’s NAVIC by altering signal transmission.
Understanding the electron density's vertical variation is essential, particularly for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites operating below 1000 km. Prior studies assumed a constant topside scale height, creating inaccuracies. The new method addresses this by combining COSMIC radio occultation measurements with observations from ionosondes.