Sunstorm (XFM Cube, XFM CubeSat, Sunstorm-1, Sun-Storm)

Sunstorm
Sunstorm
Sunstorm
Sunstorm
Spacecraft Sunstorm (XFM Cube, XFM CubeSat, Sunstorm-1, Sun-Storm)
Type CubeSat
Units or mass 2U
Status Operational? (Official post on ESA website on 2022-11-17 but possibly retired in September 2022)
Launched 2021-08-17
NORAD ID 49068
Deployer PSL / PSL-P (Picosatellite Launcher) [Astrofein]
Launcher Vega (VV19)
Entity name ESA (European Space Agency)
Institution Space agency
Entity type Government (Civil / Military)
Nation Finland
Manufacturer AIVT by Kuva Space
Partners ESA (European Space Agency), ISAWARE, Reaktor Space Lab, ASRO, Oxford Instruments Technologies, Talvioja Consulting
Oneliner

Solar X-ray Flux Monitor to monitor solar x-ray flares.

Description

Solar X-ray Flux Monitor. In-orbit demonstration of the technology using reduced resources in preparation for a fully space-qualified version some years from now. XFM is needed for the detection of solar X-ray flares; one of the most energetic phenomena on the Sun giving rise to Space Weather phenomena in the heliosphere up to the Earth’s distance and beyond.

Results

The SUNSTORM satellite’s XFM instrument is capable of measuring high-energy electrons and detected even a 10 times higher electron flow values than normally in the SUNSTORM satellite’s 540 km high orbit well in advance of the geomagnetic storm which hit the Starlinks. In short, the satellite’s measurements showed that the eruption in question was both exceptionally long-lasting and clearly more energetic than normally. These properties are not detected with currently used instruments. This added information would have been crucial in predicting the magnitude of the upcoming geomagnetic storm.

Sources [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
Photo sources [1] [2] [3] [4]
COTS subsystems
  • PLATFORM - Reaktor Space
  • PAYLOAD - Isaware X-ray Flux Monitor (XFM)
Subsystems sources [1] [2]

Last modified: 2023-06-03

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