06/14/2024
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Europe’s newest rocket will soon launch, bringing with it numerous space missions, each with a unique goal, destination and team cheering them on. Whether launching new satellites to look back and study Earth, peering into deep space, or testing important new technologies in orbit, the first flight of Ariane 6 will demonstrate the versatility and flexibility of this impressive heavy launcher. Read on to learn everything about GRBBeta, then see who else will fly first.
GRBBeta is the successor to the world’s smallest space astrophysics observatory, GRBAlpha – the first CubeSat to detect a gamma-ray burst (GRB) from space; still working well after three years in orbit and more than 135 “transients” detected to date.
GRBBeta in orbit – visualization
Building on the success of Alpha, GRBBeta will serve as a “test bed” for a range of new technologies that will be vital to future GRB sensor satellite constellations and other CubeSat missions.
Gamma-ray bursts are extremely energetic explosions observed in distant galaxies. These are the brightest and most extreme explosive events in the Universe: a typical GRB will release as much energy in a few seconds as the Sun did in its entire 10 billion year life.
Gamma burst illustration
GRBs are thought to be released during a hypernova – when a particularly massive star powerfully implodes to form a neutron star or black hole. After a huge initial flash of gamma rays, an “afterglow” emits longer wavelengths in x-ray, ultraviolet, optical, infrared, microwave, and radio rays.
The satellite’s prime contractor is the Faculty of Aeronautics of the Technical University of Košice, while Spacemanic, a turnkey provider of nanosatellite missions and manufacturer of CubeSat components based in Czechia, led the construction of the GRBBeta CubeSat from two-unit tip (2U). Its scientific payloads were built in a Hungarian, Czech, Japanese and Canadian collaboration and represent a significant step forward in space technology.
The Spacemanic team
The Hungarian Konkoly Observatory led the development of GRBBeta’s gamma-ray burst detector, while the Czech Masaryk University led the analysis of the scientific data. Japan’s University of Hiroshima contributed significantly to the detector hardware, and Canada’s University of Toronto built an experimental mini-UV space telescope.
As with the GRBAlpha mission, Spacemanic was responsible for the overall construction of GRBBeta – from project management to mission design, construction and integration of almost all its components and development of the ground segment. .
Jakub Kapuš, CEO of Spacemanic
“GRBBeta is a collaborative project that involves various technological innovations from several collaborators,” explains Jakub Kapuš, CEO of Spacemanic. “To put it simply, we wanted to know how much science we could ‘cram’ into two units of space. Turns out the answer is “a lot.”
In addition to the gamma-ray burst experiment, GRBBeta also offers amateur radio capabilities and several other experiments.
“One of the technologies to be tested that we are particularly excited about is the first large CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) ultraviolet image sensor from the Dunlap Institute at the University of Toronto,” continues Jakub Kapuš.
Solid-state image sensors convert light into electrical signals and typically have higher resolution and lower power consumption than traditional CCD (charge-coupled device) sensors, i.e. cameras.
Daniela Jovic, CCO at Spacemanic
Ultimately, GRBBeta’s goal is to serve as an affordable astronomical-grade space camera with performance better than or equal to expensive alternatives.
“GRBAlpha has shown that small CubeSats are capable of performing scientific research in orbit with a fraction of the cost and time required to launch a standard large satellite mission,” explains Daniela Jovic, CCO at Spacemanic.
“In this way, it opens the market to a wide range of countries, universities and research institutes that would otherwise not be able to carry out their experiments in space. Along the way, we have high hopes that the success of GRBBeta and the other smallsat missions we are preparing will serve as inspiration for the next big project in a small cube.
Natália Gogolová, mechanical engineer at Spacemanic
In addition to its astrophysics instruments, GRBBeta is also equipped with a Murgas “transceiver” – a device capable of both transmitting and receiving data – presenting a unique opportunity for the global amateur radio community.
The satellite will be visible on the open source SatNOGS network, so anyone with an internet connection will be able to view its live telemetry (data) via the Grafana dashboard from the comfort of their home and track and check the status health of the little one. space wonder.
“It is truly an honor to be part of this historic moment in European space exploration. Our team has put all their heart and soul into reaching this stage,” explains Natália Gogolová, mechanical engineer at Spacemanic.
“When GRBBeta left our office for the launch pad, it was a sentimental reminder of all the dedication and teamwork that got us to this point. The wait to receive the first signals from GRBBeta is absolutely exciting – we are all looking forward to this moment.