 Faraday cup sensors and instrument housings in two configurations. On the left is the final flight hardware, with insulating thermal blankets installed; on the right is a test configuration that protects sensitive hardware for transportation. | |
| Operator | NASA |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | JHU/APL |
| Function | Plasma Sensor |
| Mission duration | Cruise: 3-6 years Science phase: ≥ 3 years |
| Host spacecraft | |
| Spacecraft | Europa Clipper |
| Operator | NASA |
| Launch date | ≈ 2025 [1] |
| Rocket | SLS |
| Launch site | Kennedy Space Center |
The Plasma Instrument for Magnetic Sounding (PIMS) is a Faraday cup based instrument that will fly on board the Europa Clipper orbiter to explore Jupiter's moon Europa. PIMS will measure the plasma that populates Jupiter's magnetosphere and Europa's ionosphere.[2]
The principal investigator is Joseph Westlake, from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL).
- ^ Europa Clipper passes key review. Jeff Foust, Space News. 22 August 2019.
- ^ Europa PIMS prototype faraday cup development. 2018 IEEE Aerospace Conference. March 2018. doi:10.1109/AERO.2018.8396522.