The ionosphere is the upper part of the atmosphere between 100 and 1,000 km. It is partially ionized and is sensitive to multiple solar and geophysical phenomena (earthquakes, tsunamis) and anthropogenic events (such as explosions and rocket launches). Rocket launches can cause two main types of disturbances in the ionosphere, which are detected in measurements of total electron content (TEC) between the ground and a GNSS satellite (e.g., GPS or Galileo):
- Localized depletion of plasma density caused by rocket exhaust gases. These depletion events have a very distinctive spatial waveform, similar to a plume centered along the rocket's trajectory.
We have extensive experience in studying the ionospheric response to natural hazards and human-induced events. We are currently developing new techniques for near real-time assessment of ionospheric disturbance parameters related to natural hazards. Our methods enable us to automatically detect ionospheric disturbances related to earthquakes in TEC data, locate them, and, in future work, estimate the magnitude of the earthquake. However, unlike earthquakes, which are localized to a single point, rocket propagation is a more spatially complex phenomenon. In addition, some rockets may use different types of fuel that will have different chemical impacts on the atmosphere/ionosphere. Consequently, depending on the scenario, they will produce different types of disturbances in the ionosphere.
The main objective of the thesis is to study the ionospheric disturbances generated by different types of rocket launches. This will make it possible to evaluate the parameters of these events and develop methods for automatically analyzing the ionospheric disturbances generated by rocket launches.