Heliophysics Applications of CubeSats at Montana State University

Abstract:

Technologies applicable to the miniaturization of satellites accompanied by the simultaneous development of standardized launch deployment systems have enabled unique focused research in Heliophysics to be carried out with sub-10 kg-class free flying satellites. Montana State University (MSU) is among the first institutions to have applied these emergent capabilities to the development of CubeSats for scientific research. Since its founding in 2001, MSU’s Space Science and Engineering Laboratory (SSEL) has designed, built, space qualified, and delivered for launch seven increasingly more capable scientific satellites, all carrying payloads directed toward further understanding of the Geospace environment. Each development cycle led to the launch of one, or more satellites with greater technological sophistication and more scientific capability than it’s predecessor(s). The presentation will trace the spiral development of our series of scientific research satellites that aim to further elucidate the dynamical behavior of the energetic charged particle radiation environment near-Earth, culminating with the twin FIREBIRD-II satellites launched on January 31^st 2015. Scientific insights revealed by the ongoing Focused Investigation of Relativistic Electron Burst, Intensity, Range, and Dynamics mission include the first correlative measurements of the spatio-temporal coherence of relativistic electron microbursts from two satellites at spatial separations ranging from 10 km to >1000 km; stationary or slowly evolving electron precipitation walls; and both forward and reverse dispersive electron precipitation bursts. FIREBIRD-provided scientific insights serve to illustrate the value of CubeSats for performing focused targeted investigations that lead to deeper insights on the Geospace environment.