Official repository for the paper Observing the Earth’s Plasmasphere and Ionosphere from the Lunar Surface (Cesaroni et al. 2026, submitted to Geophysical Research Letters). Read the preprint here: https://doi.org/10.22541/essoar.176902858.83882772/v1

Surrounding our planet is a vast layer of charged particles called the ionosphere/plasmasphere system, which plays a critical role in Space Weather. Despite its importance, a significant blind spot exists between the top of our atmosphere and deep-space altitudes where Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites cannot observe the plasma layers above them.

This project leverages data from the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE), a pioneering mission that used the Moon as a platform to perform limb sounding of the Earth’s environment. By tracking GPS and Galileo signals from the lunar surface, LuGRE bridges observational gaps at altitudes exceeding 3,000 km.

Earth, Plasmasphere, a GNSS satellite, and the Moon (not drawn to scale).

• Refilling Efficiency: LuGRE data indicates a lower plasma refilling efficiency than currently parameterized in standard models, e.g. Global Core Plasma Model (GCPM).

• Lunar Observatory: This project demonstrates that the Moon is an ideal location for permanent Space Weather observatories improving safety of space technology.

.
├── assets/               # Images, etc.
├── docs/                 # GitHub Pages source (interactive HTML plots)
├── src/                  # Functions for the processing and plotting of LuGRE data
├── GCPM_vs_LuGRE.ipynb   # Notebook to reproduce paper results
├── LICENSE               # GNU GPL license
├── requirements.txt      # Dependencies
└── README.md

The pre-processed GNSS dataset is available on Zenodo.