The goal of the Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) mission is to connect the magnetospheric cusp to the magnetopause and discover how spatial or temporal variations in magnetic reconnection drive cusp dynamics.

To address this goal, the TRACERS mission has three major scientific objectives:
• Determine whether magnetopause reconnection is primarily spatially or temporally variable for a range of solar wind conditions.
• For temporally varying reconnection, determine how the reconnection rate evolves.
• Determine to what extent dynamic structures in the cusp are associated with temporal versus spatial reconnection.

To accomplish this scientific research, TRACERS consists of two identically instrument spacecraft making observations in the cusp in 500 km sun-synchronous circular orbits with the spacecraft separated by 10 s to 120 s.  Statistical analysis of the orbit shows that TRACERS will have more than 3250 cups encounters in the one year mission lifetime.  Well-proven instruments and a good understanding of orbital characteristics allow for simple mission operations coupled with proven data analysis techniques backed by high-fidelity simulations.

TRACERS is led by the University of Iowa. The UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory contributes to the research.

Artist’s concept illustration of the twin TRACERS satellites in orbit around the Earth with the Sun rising over the horizon in the background. Credit: NASA.
Website
tracers.physics.uiowa.edu
Location

Low Earth Orbit

Type

Research

Schedule

2025 - Present

Partners

University of Iowa, Southwest Research Institute, Millennium Space Systems, University of California, Los Angeles, University of New Hampshire, Cleveland Aerospace Technology Services

PI

David Miles, University of Iowa

Team

Stephen Fuselier, S.K. Vines (Southwest Research Institute), John Bonnell (University of California, Berkeley), C. Moser-Gauthier (University of New Hampshire)