TERRIERS

Comtech AeroAstro supported Boston University on the design and fabrication of the spacecraft and ground station for the Tomographic Experiment using Radiative Recombinative Ionospheric Extreme ultraviolet and Radio Sources (TERRIERS) remote sensing spacecraft. This low-cost, fast-paced program was part of the Student Explorer Demonstration Initiative—sponsored by the Universities Space Research Association—and a precursor to NASA’s University Explorer program. The TERRIERS' mission was to demonstrate global ionospheric tomography (imaging by sectioning) and utilize the techniques to study ionospheric/thermospheric processes. The satellite was spin stabilized and had a mass of 121 kg. The satellite bus provided 59 Watts orbital average power. TERRIERS was launched on May 17, 1999.