MATS (satellite)

MATS (Mesospheric Airglow/Aerosol Tomography and Spectroscopy) is a Swedish research satellite designed for studying waves in Earth's atmosphere. Launch occurred on 4 November 2022 from the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 at the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand.^[2][3][4]

MATS (Mesospheric Airglow/Aerosol Tomography and Spectroscopy)

Mission type	Climatology
Operator	Swedish National Space Board
COSPAR ID	MATS:2022-147A [1]
SATCAT no.	MATS:TBD
Website	https://www.rymdstyrelsen.se/en/swedish-space-industry/swedish-satellites/mats/
Mission duration	2 years (planned) 1 year, 11 months and 25 days (elapsed)
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	OHB Sweden, ÅAC Clyde Space, Stockholm University Chalmers University of Technology, KTH, Omnisys Instruments
Launch mass	50 kg (110 lb)
Dimensions	60 cm × 70 cm × 85 cm (24 in × 28 in × 33 in)
Power	TBD
Start of mission
Launch date	4 November 2022, 17:27:00 UTC (2022-11-04UTC17:27Z)
Rocket	Electron rocket
Launch site	Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1
Contractor	Rocket Lab

Waves in the Earth's mesosphere, seen in noctilucent clouds over the Netherlands in June 2019.

MATS is planned to study atmospheric waves, providing data for atmospheric models monitoring future changes in the mesosphere, the atmospheric layer 50-100 km above sea level. In particular, MATS is designed to measure noctilucent clouds and atmospheric airglow from oxygen molecules.^[5]

References

1. "MATS - Gunter's Space Page". 4 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
2. "Rocket Lab to attempt booster recovery on upcoming Electron launch". SpaceNews. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
3. Thomas von Heijne (4 November 2022). "Svenska satelliten Mats ska kartlägga jordens atmosfär" (in Swedish). SVT Vetenskap. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
4. "Svensk satellit skjuts upp" (in Swedish). SVT Play. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
5. "MATS instrument". Stockholm University. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.

External links

• MATS satellite at Swedish National Space Agency