AEPEX

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AEPEX

Atmospheric Effects of Precipitation through Energetic X-rays

Imaging energetic particle precipitation

The Atmosphere Effects of Precipitation through Energetic X-rays (AEPEX) 6U CubeSat Mission will quantify the energy deposition from the radiation belts due to precipitation, during both quiet and active conditions, and provide spatial measurements of precipitation regions. These measurements will improve our understanding of radiation belt precipitation, radiation belt lifetimes, and the effects of radiation belt precipitation on the upper atmosphere, directly addressing the Heliophysics Decadal Survey Key Science Goal 2: “Determine the dynamics and coupling of Earth’s magnetosphere, ionosphere, and atmosphere and their response to solar and terrestrial inputs.”

Mission Class:

CubeSats

Mission Status:

Future

LASP Roles:

Research, Instruments, Data, Mission Operations

Science Target:

Earth's Magnetosphere

Mission Focus:

Magnetosphere, Space Plasmas, Van Allen Belts

Launch Date: TBD

Prime Mission: 6 months

Lead Institute: University of Colorado Boulder, Aerospace Engineering

Lead Funding Agency: NASA

Partners: University of Calgary, University of Iowa, University of New Hampshire, University of Washington

Precipitation into the upper atmosphere is one of the primary sources of loss from the radiation belts. Numerous spacecraft have attempted to measure this Energetic Electron Precipitation (EEP) from Low-Earth Orbit (LEO); however, current instrumentation is not able to resolve the loss cone angle nor measure the pitch angle distribution, and thus the energy deposition in the atmosphere has a large uncertainty. Furthermore, particle detectors on spacecraft provide in-situ detection only, and single-spacecraft missions cannot provide instantaneous spatial information about the precipitation patches.

The AEPEX mission will provide a comprehensive measurement of EEP, by measuring precipitating electron distributions and imaging X-ray photons produced by bremsstrahlung in the atmosphere. This concept is similar to the recent and successful BARREL balloon mission, except we will detect photons from LEO rather than balloon altitudes. Measurements of X-rays at LEO will provide an estimate of energy deposition in the upper atmosphere, will provide spatial information about precipitation regions, will provide global coverage, and will enable longer-term measurements than dedicated balloon campaigns.