Small satellite for studying cosmic radiation environment in space

CubeSats are built from a modular structure of 10x10x10cm cubes, and a wide range of commercially available electronic and electromechanical components which can match the structure with suitable design concepts. The satellite costs orders of magnitude less than large-scale satellites. CubeSat idea can be used as a mini research satellite to study specific variation of cosmic ray protons and heavy ions and the impact of solar activity on the radiation environment for planetary missions. It is planned to develop such a small satellite in about 3 years time which would be launched as a subsidiary payload with ISRO"s PSLV facility from India.

The scientific investigation of the mission would include simultaneous observations of primary cosmic ray protons and Fe ions using the satellite sensors /detectors and data from operating ground based cosmic ray neutron monitors. The new and continuous observations would help characterising the prolonged effect of low solar activity on high levels of cosmic ray energetic heavy ion fluxes during the current solar cycle 24 and the future cycle 25. This would help estimate the radiation doses that the astronaut would experience while on a long duration mission or evaluate the risks that the robots have to be safeguarded from single event effects during workouts on Martian surface.

The detector system would include pure silicon carbide sensors for charged particle flux measurements in an elliptical orbit of 400-80000 km so that its variation due to earth`s magnetic field can also be studied.