Current collection by a conducting spherical satellite in the ionosphere

The current collection by a conducting satellite moving in a magnetized plasma across the Earth´s magnetic field was studied by means of numerical simulations. The satellite was assumed to be a conducting sphere. In the low Earth orbit, the satellite moves with an orbital velocity V₀≃8 km/s perpendicular to the Earth´s magnetic field lines. This orbital velocity V₀ is relative to the plasma. Numerical simulations have been carried out to determine the current collected by the satellite moving in a magnetized plasma. For comparison, simulations for the plasma having no relative motion between the plasma and the satellite have been also carried out. The results from the later simulations agree with the canonical upper bound on the collected current calculated by Parker and Murphy (1967). Results from simulations with the relative drift of 8 km/s show that the collected current by the satellite is appreciably greater than that collected without the relative drift