April 17, 2023
After years of hard work and anxious searching/waiting for the launch opportunities, CIRBE (Colorado Inner Radiation Belt Experiment) was successfully launched at 12:48 AM (MT)
CIRBE
Colorado Inner Radiation Belt Experiment
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.
CIRBE News
March 9, 2023
CIRBE was successfully integrated into a dispenser at Maverick Space Systems on Friday (2/24) by three LASP engineers: Jared (EE), Spencer (ME), and Evan (SE)
February 23, 2023
CIRBE has been packed up and started its delivery journey on 21 February 2023. Three engineers, Jared (EE), Spencer (ME), and Evan (SE), are driving
Mission Overview
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.
