1,2,3,1,- 1University of Calgary, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Calgary, Canada
- 2Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
- 3Division of Space and Plasma Physics, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
- 4Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, Xanthi, Greece
This presentation provides an overview and update on the Canadian Space Agency sponsored IMAGER project, which has two main objectives: 1) Fly an upgraded ionospheric ion analyzer (the 'MPI') on the CalgaryToSpace FrontierSat cubesat to characterize ionospheric flows in the vicinity of the aurora and STEVE and investigate satellite charging; 2) Develop and fly an improved analyzer to measure ionospheric ion drift as part of the Swedish SYSTER suborbital rocket mission to investigate ionosphere-thermosphere coupling. The design, development, integration and test activities are conducted by students in the spirit of the training component of CSA's Flights and Fieldwork for the Advancement of Science and Technology (FAST) programme. FrontierSat and SYSTER are scheduled for launches in 2026. We introduce each mission's scientific rationale, highlight recent technical and training developments, and briefly describe several potential future mission opportunities in upper-atmospheric cold-plasma physics.
How to cite: Burchill, J., Beer, K., Borges, V., Desai, R., Ivchenko, M., Knudsen, D., Rupprecht, C., Sarris, T., and Spanswick, E.: Innovative Measurements of Auroral Geophysics for Education and Research (IMAGER), EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-13271, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-13271, 2026.
