In order to apply for any of the following theses or internships, the candidate must have no more than 3 exams left.
This thesis proposal focuses on the analysis of radio occultation opportunities for the ESA JUICE (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer) mission. During its journey through the Jovian system, JUICE will perform radio science experiments in which the spacecraft’s radio signal passes through the atmosphere of Jupiter, as well as through the ionospheres of the Galilean moons. These occultations provide a unique opportunity to probe the vertical structure, composition, and dynamics of these environments.
The main objective of the thesis is to characterize the geometric conditions of the planned radio occultation experiments. The student will compute and analyze the geometry of each occultation event, determining the regions of the atmosphere or ionosphere that will be sampled in terms of latitude, longitude, solar zenith angle (with particular attention to distinguishing between dawn and dusk occultations), as well as to estimating the range of altitudes probed by the radio signal.
The analysis will include the computation of the total number of occultation opportunities for each target body (Jupiter, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto) and the corresponding observational conditions. The results will be presented along with the trajectory of JUICE during the occultations relative to the planetary and satellite bodies. This work will provide a comprehensive overview of the spatial and temporal coverage of the JUICE radio occultation experiments, supporting the optimization and scientific interpretation of future observations.
Topic: Radio Occultations
Tutor: Andrea Caruso
Uploaded: 14/10/2025