FORTE observations of lightning radio-frequency signatures: Capabilities and basic results

The FORTE satellite, launched on August 29, 1997, carries both radio-frequency-receiver and optical (imaging and photometric) payloads for the study of lightning. The radio-frequency (RF) data for the first 7 months of operation are described, both to illustrate the satellite's capabilities and to explain the basic statistical findings so far. FORTE's multichannel RF trigger system represents a significant advance in space-based monitoring of lightning emissions. We are able to observe even rather weak and diffuse RF emissions from lightning and are no longer limited to the brightest known events, “transionospheric pulse pairs,” or TIPPs. We do see TIPPs, and we show that the FORTE observations of TIPPs are consistent only with the second pulse's being due to a ground reflection. We find that TIPPs are basically bimodal in character, one type having a steep roll-off of power from 38 to 130 MHz and the other being essentially flat-spectrum in that range. The steep-spectrum TIPPs cluster together in the manner of most RF emissions from lightning, while the flat-spectrum events tend to maintain a wider spacing (>0.1 s) between recurrent emissions.