How a fleet of toaster-sized satellites monitors solar storms
NASA's SunRISE mission uses an array of six small satellites to act as a single radio telescope. This video explores how these CubeSats observe low-frequency radio emissions to study the Sun's impact on our solar system.
The Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment, known as SunRISE, consists of six CubeSats, each roughly the size of a toaster. By working together as a radio telescope, these satellites observe low radio frequency emissions to investigate how the Sun generates intense space weather storms.
Understanding these solar particle storms is critical, as they have the capacity to damage spacecraft and pose significant safety threats to astronauts traveling through space. The mission's expected duration is 12 months, though the launch date is yet to be announced.
Source: SunRISE: Studying Space Weather with SmallSats (Live Public Talk)
