Nanosatellites Will Help Physicists to Explore the Sun

One-day seminar was held at the Inter-University Department of Space Research of Samara University and at Samara Branch of  P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute of the RAS. The agenda of the seminar was the study of processes occurring on the Sun with the help of nanosatellites. This direction of research will be the basis for the formation of a space cluster being created by a world-class scientific and educational centre in Samara.

The discussion was attended by the staff of the Inter-University Department of Space Research and research staff of LPI, both of Samara branch and of Moscow Institute. Leading Researcher of the Laboratory of the Physical Institute "X-Ray Astronomy of the Sun", Doctor of Physics and Mathematics, Professor of the RAS Sergey Bogachev arrived in Samara. The first half of the seminar was held at the site of Samara Branch of LPI.

Sergey Bogachev made a review of the cosmophysical direction of solar research and presented his vision of using the most currently widespread type of nanosatellites –  CubeSat for telescopic solar research. The staff of  LPI Branch in Samara, headed by Director Vladimir Kazakevich, spoke about astrophysical phenomena that they would like to study in orbit using nanosatellites. Among them there are the features of wave propagation in the solar atmosphere.

Samara University Professors Igor Belokonov, Oleg Felonin, Ivan Timbai spoke on the results of the work done on the creation of scientific and educational nanosatellites. At the seminar held at  Samara University, the guests got acquainted with the laboratory equipment and competencies of the university scientists to create nanosatellites. Specialists of the Laboratory for the Development and Creation of Electronic Systems for Nanosatellites showed samples of electronic on-board systems developed in-house: an on-board computer, a power supply system, a transceiver, solar panels, and an angular motion control system. LPI scientists were also able to evaluate the high level of the developed educational stand –  the engineering model of a nanosatellite, which has great potential for commercialization.

The guests also got acquainted with the centre of complex testing for nanosatellites and their subsystems and noted its uniqueness and high demand.

"Scientists of P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute of the RAS became interested in the project of a consortium of Russian universities group to create a group of nanosatellites, formed on the initiative of Samara University, –  said Professor of the Inter-University Department of Space Research Igor Belokonov. – But the task of that project is to study the Earth’s ionosphere. Therefore, we decided to discuss the possibility of creating a nanosatellite, where the scientists of LPI would place their scientific equipment, separately. It is possible that we will even reach the level of a CubeSat group, which task will include continuous observation of the Sun".

The list of projects that will be developed by the participants of the 15th  International Summer Space School "Advanced Space Technologies and Experiments in Space" includes the project of a nanosatellite equipped with telescopic devices for observing the Sun. Besides, in June, these issues will be discussed at the 3rd  Russian Symposium with International Participation “RusNanoSat-2019”, which will be held at Samara University.

Photo: Danila Babonin, photoclub “Illuminator”