NORISK PROJECT TO KENYA’S SPACE WEATHER MONITORING EFFORTS

THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE NORISK PROJECT TO KENYA’S SPACE WEATHER MONITORING EFFORTS

written by Mary Dusabe

The New Observatory for Real-Time Ionospheric Sounding over Kenya (NORISK) became operational in July 2023, enhancing Kenya’s capacity to study and predict space weather events. It includes an Advanced Ionospheric Sounding (AIS) ionosonde and a collocated GNSS Ionospheric Scintillation Monitor Receiver (ISMR), both crucial for real-time ionospheric monitoring. The NORISK project is located at the Luigi Broglio Malindi Space Center, a facility that is jointly managed by the Italian Space Agency and the Kenya Space Agency. This project has significantly contributed to the Kenya Space Agency’s (KSA) efforts towards space weather monitoring by strengthening existing space weather infrastructure. Given that Kenya is located in the low latitude region, which experiences high ionospheric variability, this monitoring is very crucial for mitigating ionospheric effects on space-dependent technological systems. Data from the NORISK project is freely available to the general public via the electronic Space Weather upper atmosphere (eSWua) website, accessible here
KSA utilises NORISK instruments alongside other space weather monitoring infrastructure in Kenya to develop algorithms for analysing and monitoring ionospheric effects on trans-ionospheric radio signals. These signals support various essential technologies such as, GNSS applications, HF communication, satellite communications, and radar systems.

The NORISK ISMR receiver, along with other additional GNSS receivers across Kenya, are utilized to monitor ionospheric scintillation by assessing amplitude and phase variations in GNSS signals.

Location of GNSS receivers in Kenya

These measurements help track signal degradation, including interruptions, signal strength, positioning errors, and instances of loss of satellite connectivity. Such disruptions pose significant challenges to positioning and navigation reliability, especially in critical sectors like transport, aviation, geospatial mapping, precision agriculture, and emergency response.
The NORISK ionosonde plays an important role in the prediction of High-Frequency (HF) radio communication performance over Kenya. This is accomplished by analysing key parameters extracted from the ionograms it generates, including:
• foF2 (Critical Frequency of the F2 layer): Determines the highest frequency that can be reflected at vertical incidence.
• MUF (Maximum Usable Frequency): The highest frequency suitable for long-distance communication via ionospheric reflection.
• Spread-F Occurrence: Indicates potential signal scattering and degradation.
These parameters allow for real-time HF frequency selection, estimation of signal weakening caused by Spread-F, and assessment of D-region absorption, primarily influenced by solar flares, which impacts lower HF bands (below 10 MHz) and can result in communication blackouts. Field like: aviation, maritime, military, and emergency response operators can leverage continuous monitoring to dynamically adjust HF communication frequencies, mitigate blackouts, and optimise long-distance signal propagation.

Raw Ionograms from the Ionosonde in Malindi

Advancing Global Space Weather Research

Beyond Space Weather monitoring applications, NORISK contributes valuable data for improving ionospheric and HF propagation models. This is especially important since the low-latitude region of Africa has, in the past, been underrepresented in global space weather research. By filling this gap, NORISK enhances the accuracy of global ionospheric and HF propagation models, advancing both regional and international space weather research

THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE NORISK PROJECT TO KENYA’S SPACE WEATHER MONITORING EFFORTS

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