Foresail-2: Space Physics Mission in a Challenging Environment

Earth’s radiation belts are extremely important for space weather because they can store and accelerate particles to relativistic energies, which can have a potential impact on satellite functionality, communications, and navigation systems.
The FORESAIL consortium wants to measure these high-energy particle fluxes to understand the dynamics of the radiation belts with its satellite mission Foresail-2.
The mission aims to measure magnetic ultra low frequency waves and the plasma environment in the magnetosphere around Earth.
The captured data will help to improve our understanding of space weather, and in particular the dynamics of Earth’s radiation belts during periods of large disturbances inside the magnetosphere.

This mission is challenging the capabilities of a CubeSat based on commercial of the shelf components as it is flying through regions of high radiation which these components are not made for.
The mission design paper outlines in detail the required orbits and payloads.

The Foresail-2 mission is part of the COSPAR COnstellation of Radiation BElt Survey program (CORBES).
CORBES is the vision of a heterogeneous constellation of satellites that could follow up the Van-Allen-Belt-Probes in collecting vital science data of our surrounding space weather. The science of CORBES is interested in the loss and acceleration mechanisms of the particles in the dynamics of the Earth’s.
Several payloads and satellites from partners across the globe have been outlined to fulfill this mission.

More information:

Spacecraft Systems Engineer: Marius Anger ([email protected])

Responsible Leader: Professor Jaan Praks ([email protected])