CEOS EO HANDBOOK – MISSION SUMMARY - ePOP on CASSIOPE -
Full Name Enhanced Polar Outflow Probe on the CAScade, Smallsat and IOnospheric Polar Explorer
aka CASSIOPE
Status Operational (extended)
Mission Agencies ESA, MDA, University of Calgary Launch Date 29 Sep 2013
Mission Links mission site | data access portal EOL Date Dec 2025
EO Portal Info NORAD Catalog # 39265 (TLE)
International Designator 2013-055A
Orbit Type Inclined, non-sun-synchronous Orbit Period 101 minutes
Orbit Sense N/A Orbit Inclination 81 deg
Orbit Altitude 450 km Orbit Longitude
Orbit LST Repeat Cycle
Objectives and Applications The ePOP probe observes the Earth’s ionosphere, where space meets the upper atmosphere. The instruments are used in conjunction with other satellite-based and ground-based instruments to analyze radio wave propagation in the ionosphere, measure the densities of ionized particles, and observe the aurora from space, all as they respond to space weather. The orbit is 450 km to 1250 km. Note: MDA is the owner and University of Calgary is the operator. Since December 2021, spacecraft is in slow rotation due to 3 damaged reaction wheels, but continues to collect science data.
Mission Measurements
CategoryParameterInstrument(s)
Gravity and Magnetic FieldsGravity, Magnetic and Geodynamic measurements CER, FAI, GAP, IRM, MGF, NMS, RRI, SEI
Mission Instruments
CER - Coherent Electromagnetic Radio Tomography
FAI - Fast Auroral Imager
GAP - GPS receiver-based Attitude, Position, and profiling experiment (GAP)
IRM - Imaging and Rapid-scanning ion Mass spectrometer
MGF - MaGnetic Field instrument
NMS - Neutral Mass Spectrometer
RRI - Radio Receiver Instrument
SEI - Suprathermal Electron Imager
OpenSearch Datasets No IDN OpenSearch datasets found.

No FedEO OpenSearch datasets found.

Want to explore more? Read about FedEO by ESA or click here to search FedEO or CMR OpenSearch by NASA