The Langmuir plasma probe will measure plasma density and temperature. The data collected will assist in the study of high altitude effects, including auroral regions, equatorial fountains, moving currents, and other high altitude phenomena. The measurements will be taken by a half-inch solid aluminum sphere that will be suspended beneath the satellite. There will be a voltage put on the probe, which can be ramped between –7 to +7 V to measure the plasma temperature. The spherical design of the probe allows good measurement even if the satellite is rotating. As long as the probe is suspended beneath the satellite, there will be adequate surfaces for data collection.

The data collection rate for the plasma probe will be variable, depending on storage space and downlink time. The average data rate will be around 400-500 Hz with possible burst rates of up to 100kHz. This will allow more precise, higher resolution study of certain areas of interest. Data collected will be stored with 8-bit precision and can fill up to 1.25 gigabytes per day of memory onboard the satellite. Depending on power considerations, the plasma probe may be used 20-100% of the time while in orbit.

Future plans include developing a constellation of these probes in order to make multi-point measurements in similar areas at similar times. This could result in invaluable data that could not be gathered with one probe alone.

The onboard magnetometer will measure the magnetic field and output its three axis components. This data will be collected whenever it is desired, perhaps at a frequency of 1 Hz. The magnetic field measurements will serve several purposes. First, it will give positioning and attitude reference for the satellite. This may aid in attitude control as well as knowing where the satellite is located compared to the earth's magnetic field. In addition, data will be collected to compare the changes in magnetic field as the satellite passes through regions of interest to the plasma probe. Possible connections between plasma density and magnetic field variance will be studied. This instrument has a variety of benefits and is very small, lightweight, and low power.