*NASA’s Small Satellites Aim to Unveil Secrets of Solar Radio Bursts* Scientists at NASA have completed the construction of six identical cereal box-size satellites, part of the Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE). These SmallSats will launch as a rideshare aboard a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket, sponsored by the US Space Force’s Space Systems Command.
The SmallSats, once in space, will collaborate to function as a single giant radio antenna, studying solar radio bursts to gain insights into explosive events in the Sun’s atmosphere. The mission aims to enhance our understanding of these phenomena and potentially provide warnings about energetic particles impacting Earth, thus safeguarding astronauts and space hardware.
Andrew Romero-Wolf, Deputy Project Scientist for SunRISE at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explained, “Some missions put multiple scientific instruments on a single spacecraft, whereas we use multiple small satellites to act as a single instrument.” Measuring only a few kilograms each, these SmallSats will fly approximately 10 kilometers apart, deploying four radio antennas with a length of 2.5 meters each.
The precise tracking of the satellites’ relative positions and the timing of observed solar events will enable interferometry, combining the collected data into a single stream to produce images of the Sun for in-depth scientific analysis. This innovative approach may contribute to tracking solar radio bursts and providing advanced warnings for potential impacts on Earth.
