The CIRBE (Colorado Inner Radiation Belt Experiment) satellite is a 3U (10cm x 10cm x 30cm) CubeSat with the mission of allowing scientists to gain a better understanding of the formation of the inner radiation belt electrons as well as determine where these particles come from and how they behave. The proposed goal of the CIRBE mission is to provide state-of-the-art measurements of .25-5 MeV electrons (and 6.5-100 MeV protons) in the Earth’s radiation belt in a highly inclined Low Earth Orbit.
The SMD technology highlight article on REPTile-2 is now posted (https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/science-enabling-technology/innovative-instrument-reveals-hidden-features-deep-inside-the-van-allen-radiation-belts/)! It is also featured on the NASA science home page (https://science.nasa.gov/) as the “Latest
Following the largest magnetic storm in 20 years (May 10, 2024), REPTile-2 onboard NASA’s CIRBE satellite discovered two new radiation belts containing 1.3–5 MeV electrons
An invited Commentary Article about CSSWE and CIRBE’s contributions to Energetic Particle Dynamics in the Near‐Earth Environment was published in AGU Advances: http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2024AV001256
The CIRBE (Colorado Inner Radiation Belt Experiment) satellite is a 3U (10cm x 10cm x 30cm) CubeSat with the mission of allowing scientists to gain a better understanding of the formation of the inner radiation belt electrons as well as determine where these particles come from and how they behave. The proposed goal of the CIRBE mission is to provide state-of-the-art measurements of .3-3.5 MeV electrons (and 6-35 MeV protons) in the Earth’s radiation belt in a highly inclined Low Earth Orbit.
In order to take measurements of incident electrons and protons, the instrument boresite must be pointed perpendicular to the local magnetic field. The solar panels must always face the sun such that they are perpendicular to the sun vector. These requirements result in a specific alignment of the spacecraft at each point in orbit. This is shown in the figure below.
