Future space weather missions using spacecraft formation flying can provide more robust, flexible, sustainable, and low-cost observational capability on multi-scale ionospheric plasma structures. The Virginia Tech Formation Flying Testbed (VTFFTB), a hardware-in-the-loop simulation testbed using multi-constellation, multi-frequency global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), has recently been developed to simulate closed-loop, real-time spacecraft formation flight with a group of 2 or 3 satellites at low Earth orbits (LEO). Onboard GNSS receivers are used for formation navigation as well as ionospheric plasma irregularities measurements. In a VTFFTB simulation, the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIEGCM) was integrated to simulate Equatorial plasma bubbles (EPB) and study the EPB impacts on GNSS signals tracked by LEO formation satellites. This case study demonstrates the VTFFTB application to study the ionospheric plasma impacts on GNSS-related technologies using global space weather models and facilitates development of new ionospheric remote sensing techniques.

未来使用航天器编队飞行的太空气象任务可以在多尺度电离层等离子体结构上提供更强大，灵活，可持续和低成本的观测能力。弗吉尼亚理工大学编队飞行测试台（VTFFTB）是使用多星座，多频率全球导航卫星系统（GNSS）的硬件在环仿真测试台，最近已开发用于仿真闭环实时航天器在低地球轨道（LEO）上由一组2或3颗卫星组成的编队飞行。机载GNSS接收器用于地层导航以及电离层等离子体不规则性测量。在VTFFTB模拟中，集成了热层-电离层-电动力学通用循环模型（TIEGCM）以模拟赤道等离子气泡（EPB），并研究了EPB对LEO编队卫星跟踪的GNSS信号的影响。该案例研究演示了VTFFTB的应用，该研究使用全球空间天气模型研究电离层等离子体对GNSS相关技术的影响，并促进了新的电离层遥感技术的开发。