The State‐of‐the‐Art Model Atmosphere From the Surface to 110 km Over the Indian Tropical Region for ISRO Launching Vehicle Applications: Developed From In Situ and Space‐Based Measurements

Abstract

Abstract The atmospheric model at any location is an altitude variation of temperature, pressure, and density. Such models are crucial for designing launch vehicles and as well as for scientific research. The models available over the Indian region were developed three decades ago using in situ observations till 1990, and hence a need was felt to revamp and regenerate the model. The focus of the present revised atmosphere is to look into the variability on a monthly and annual scale using long‐term data from both in situ and space‐based observations. The new model can accommodate and address the appropriate temporal variability and dispersions over time. It will also account for the seasonal and decadal variability and the variations due to climate change. The present reference atmosphere utilizes data from different platforms to provide a robust mean and bounds for the temperature, pressure, and density. The new model is developed using observations from 44 years (1975–2018) of radiosonde (0–25 km), 20 years (1971–1991) of M‐100 rocket (26–80 km), and 17 years (2002–2018) of SABER (26–110 km). The reference atmosphere contains monthly and annual means with ±3σ bounds for temperature, pressure, and density. The reference atmosphere can be directly used to design future ISRO launching vehicles.

Keywords

• Indian reference model
• temperature trend
• radiosonde
• M‐100 rocket
• SABER