The Contribution Of CSES Mission To Study Lithosphere-Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling Phenomena Through The Analysis Of Combined Missions Data And Ground Measurements

We present the CSES (China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite) mission that aims at investigating electromagnetic field, plasma and particles in the near-Earth environment in order to study: seismic precursors, particles fluxes (from Van Allen belts, cosmic rays, solar wind, etc.), anthropogenic electromagnetic emissions and more in general the atmosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling mechanisms that can also affect the climate changes. CSES – the first of two twin missions developed by the CNSA (China National Space Agency) together with the ASI (Italian Space Agency) – will be launched by the summer of 2017 on a polar orbit, at about 500 km, for a lifespan greater than 5 years. Several studies (such as the DEMETER analyses, the SAFE (SwArm For Earthquake study) project funded by the ESA, etc.) have shown that LEO satellite observations of electromagnetic fields, plasma parameters and particle fluxes can be able to investigate electromagnetic emissions possibly associated to earthquakes of medium and high magnitude. Although the earthquakes forecasting is not possible today, it is certainly a major challenge for science in the near future. The claims that the reported anomalies are seismic precursors are still intensely debated and analyses for confirming correlations are still lacking. In fact, in order to identify seismo-associated perturbations, it is needed to reject the “normal” background effects of the e.m. emissions due to: geomagnetic storms, tropospheric phenomena, and artificial sources (such as power lines, VLF transmitters, HF stations, etc.). Currently, the largest available database for studies of seismo-associated phenomena is that collected by the DEMETER satellite and by observations executed by some other space missions, non-dedicated to this purpose. The CSES satellite aims at continuing the exploration started by DEMETER with advanced multi-parametric measurements. In order to execute observations of energetic particle fluxes, ionospheric plasma parameters and electromagnetic fields - in a wide range of energy and frequencies – CSES is equipped with several instruments: HEPD (High Energy Particle Detector); HEPP (Low Energy Particle Detector); LP (Langmuir Probes); IDM (Ion Drift Meter); ICM (Ion Capture Meter); RPA (Retarding Potential Analyzer); EFD (Electric Field Detectors) with 4 probes installed on 4 deployable booms; HPM (High Precision Magnetometer); and SCM (Search-Coil Magnetometer). The SWARM satellites and CSES will be flying in the same time, at a similar altitude/inclination, by executing measurements of several similar parameters. The observations executed by CSES (and by its twin CSES-2) can complement those performed by SWARM increasing the monitoring capability and the range of observations. On the other side, the CSES multi-instruments payload includes two particles detectors and an electric-field detector (not installed on SWARM satellites) that can improve the capability to study the top side ionosphere giving an important contribution in monitoring the solar-terrestrial interactions. Finally, CSES will be the only satellite, with these characteristics, flying in the near future simultaneously with the SWARM mission. In this framework, we will discuss the CSES mission, its complementarity and differences with SWARM, as well as the possible overlap between the scientific investigations performed by the two missions.