First results of the low energy ion spectrometer onboard a Chinese geosynchronous satellite

A Chinese geosynchronous satellite was launched on June 23, 2020. It carried a plasma detection package to monitor the space environment around the orbit. Here we report the inflight performance of a low energy ion spectrometer (LEIS), one of the primary instruments in the plasma detection package, and its initial observations in flight. Benefiting from the state-of-the-art design of a top-hat electrostatic analyzer cooperated with angular scanning deflectors, three-dimensional measurement of ions in space with a large field of view of 360 degrees x90 degrees and a wide energy range from 50 eV to 25 keV per charge has been achieved. The differential energy flux spectra of ions around the orbit have shown clear signatures of surface charging and storm/substorm ion injections. The occurrence of surface charging could be caused by the lack of photoemission at the Earth's eclipse (near the midnight) or the storm energetic electron injection at the dawn sector. The present results demonstrated a good performance of the LEIS payload in flight for monitoring the space ion environment around the orbit. In situ measurements of the LEIS payload provide us an opportunity to understand the magnetospheric ion dynamics and forecast the associate space weather impacts.

Automated summary

On June 23, 2020, a Chinese geosynchronous satellite was launched, which carried a plasma detection package to monitor the space environment. The low energy ion spectrometer (LEIS), one of the primary instruments in the package, demonstrated three-dimensional measurement of ions in space with a large field of view and wide energy range. The observations revealed clear signatures of surface charging and storm/substorm ion injections, providing valuable insights into the space ion environment and aiding in space weather forecasting.