CARIOQA Pathfinder Mission accelerometer applications

The Cold Atom Rubidium Interferometer in Orbit for Quantum Accelerometry (CARIOQA) Pathfinder Mission aims at demonstrating a quantum accelerometer onboard a dedicated satellite mission with a launch date in the early 2030s. This Pathfinder Mission will raise the maturity of key technologies of an atom interferometer to TRL 8 to enable the deployment of a quantum accelerometer onboard a satellite gravimetry mission. While the primary mission objectives are related to characterization of the quantum accelerometer in an environment representative of a satellite gravimetry mission in terms of expected signal, several secondary mission objectives utilising the data collected in orbit are foreseen.

The Pathfinder Mission is currently in Phase B (CARIOQA-PHB), in which the preliminary mission concept, architecture and critical technology maturity plan will be developed in more detail based on the concluded Phase A. The Phase B is also accompanied by scientific studies evaluating the mission concept with respect to the realisation of primary and secondary mission objectives.

In this presentation we will focus on the application of the quantum accelerometer data for the determination of parameters of the upper atmosphere, e.g. density. The Pathfinder Mission will gather data in low Earth orbit where comparable accelerometer observations are sparse. The mission data can be used to improve atmospheric drag models. However, the study of Pathfinder Mission performance also relies on such models. We will give an overview of atmospheric drag in the context of the mission objectives and comparable datasets which can be used to augment the mission studies. We will also present the simulation strategy and results for atmospheric density determination based on the current Phase B status.

CARIOQA-PHB is a joint European project, funded by the European Union (id: 101189541), including experts in satellite instrument development (TAS, Exail SAS, ZARM, LEONARDO), quantum sensing (LUH, LTE, LP2N, ONERA, FORTH), space geodesy, Earth sciences and users of gravity field data (LUH, TUM, POLIMI), mission analysis (GMV) as well as in impact maximisation and assessment (PRAXI Network/FORTH, G.A.C. Group), coordinated by the French and German space agencies CNES and DLR under CNES lead.