학술논문

MinXSS-2 CubeSat mission overview: Improvements from the successful MinXSS-1 mission
Document Type
Working Paper
Source
Advances in Space Research, Vol. 66, Issue 1, pp. 3-9; 2020 July 1 [Open Access]
Subject
Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Physics - Space Physics
Language
Abstract
The second Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS-2) CubeSat, which begins its flight in late 2018, builds on the success of MinXSS-1, which flew from 2016-05-16 to 2017-05-06. The science instrument is more advanced -- now capable of greater dynamic range with higher energy resolution. More data will be captured on the ground than was possible with MinXSS-1 thanks to a sun-synchronous, polar orbit and technical improvements to both the spacecraft and the ground network. Additionally, a new open-source beacon decoder for amateur radio operators is available that can automatically forward any captured MinXSS data to the operations and science team. While MinXSS-1 was only able to downlink about 1 MB of data per day corresponding to a data capture rate of about 1%, MinXSS-2 will increase that by at least a factor of 6. This increase of data capture rate in combination with the mission's longer orbital lifetime will be used to address new science questions focused on how coronal soft X-rays vary over solar cycle timescales and what impact those variations have on the earth's upper atmosphere.
Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, 1 table; accepted for publication in Advances in Space Research