Link to the full source article

RSS feed source: National Science Foundation

A U.S. National Science Foundation-supported team is designing and building three identical CubeSats, or shoebox-sized satellites, to study space weather and demonstrate new technologies.

The CubeSats are part of the Space Weather Atmospheric Reconfigurable Multiscale Experiment (SWARM-EX). “The thermosphere and ionosphere system — the start of what we often think of as ‘outer space’ — is a highly variable and complex region of our atmosphere contributing to space weather,” said Scott Palo, a professor at the University of Colorado.

The ionosphere consists of charged particles and overlaps with the neutral thermosphere. During space weather storms, charged particles collide with high-latitude atoms and molecules in the thermosphere, releasing photons, which we can observe as bright, colorful auroral displays. But space weather can also interfere with satellite electronics, radio communications, GPS signals, spacecraft orbits and even electrical power grids on Earth. ”SWARM-EX will collect data to improve space weather forecasting through a fundamental understanding of the key processes, thus reducing the potential negative impact of space weather on critical space systems,” said Palo.

SWARM-EX’s three CubeSats will have specialized instruments to measure both the neutral and charged components of the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Their onboard radios will allow all three satellites to simultaneously send back data to a single ground station when flying in close formation. Each CubeSat will also have a cold gas propulsion system that the

Click this link to continue reading the article on the source website.