Abstract
The atmospheric measurements made by the six Mars orbiters in operation
(as of July 2020) significantly improved our understanding of the
Martian weather and climate. However, while some of these orbiters will
reach their lifetime, innovative and cost-effective missions are
requested - not only to guarantee continued observation but also to
address potential gaps in the existing observing network. Inspired by
the success of the two Mars Cube One (MarCO) satellites we have
established a mission concept, which is based on a series of cubesats,
carried to Mars and injected into a low-Mars orbit as secondary payload
on a larger orbiter. Each cubesat will be equipped with the necessary
features for cross-link radio occultation (RO) measurements in X-band.
Intelligent attitude control will allow for maintaining the cubesats in
a so-called “string-of-pearls” formation over a period of about 150
solar days. During this period, a series of RO experiments will be
carried out with the larger orbiter for up to 180 measurement series per
day. Due to the specific observation geometry, we will obtain a unique
set of globally distributed cross-link occultations. For processing of
the observations, tomographic principles are applied to the RO
measurements for reconstruction of high-resolution 2D temperature and
pressure fields of the lower Martian atmosphere. The obtained products
will give an insight into various unresolved atmospheric phenomena -
especially of those which are characterized by distinct horizontal
gradients in pressure and temperature, e.g. as observed at the day-night
terminator, during dust storms, or over complex terrain.