Progress of Radiation Belt Exploration by a Constellation of Small Satellites TGCSS/SGRB, COSPAR

Abstract: A COnstellation of Radiation BElt Survey (CORBES) program is proposed by the Sub-Group on Radiation Belt (SGRB) of TGCSS, COSPAR. The CORBES mission is expected to have a constellation of 10-plus small/CubeSats to take an ultra-fast survey of the Earth’s radiation belt. The general science goal for CORBES is to investigate two groups of physical processes related to the radiation belts: wave-particle interactions and radial transport. This mission is an international multilateral cooperation mission, an open and sharing data policy will be implemented. The data set of observations will be shared within the contributors of the constellation and the broad research community at large, then would be of great use for comprehensively understanding the dynamics of magnetospheric energetic populations and developing more standard models of the Earth’s radiation belts. Furthermore, from the application perspective, the ultra-fast survey of the radiation belt could serve as an important facility for monitoring space weather of the Earth as well.
- Radiation belts /
- Ultra-fast survey /
- Constellation

Figure 1. A constellation of 10 (or more) CubeSats to probe energetic particles of the radiation belt

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Figure 2. Schematic for low-frequency plasma waves and wave-particle interactions in the magnetosphere

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Figure 3. Local resonant interactions between electron and VLF waves (L is the geocentric distance in Earth radii of the location where the corresponding magnetic field line crosses the geomagnetic equator)

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Figure 4. Radial transport processes of energetic electrons in the magnetosphere

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