The Sharjah-Sat-1 CubeSat for Monitoring the Hard X-ray Sky
Abstract
The Sharjah-Sat-1 3U CubeSat is a collaborative research project between the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences, and Technology (SAASST), the University of Sharjah (UoS), Istanbul Technical University (ITU), and Sabanci University (SU). The 3U CubeSat design has been developed to perform two scientific objectives. The mission's primary scientific objective is to perform X-ray astronomy observations. The secondary mission objective is to capture remote sensing and Earth observation images of the United Arab Emirates. The CubeSat is currently in the Flight-Model integration Phase and is anticipated to be launched by the third quarter of 2022. The primary science payload onboard the Sharjah-Sat-1 CubeSat is the iXRD (Improved X-Ray Detector) utilizing a pixelated 5 mm CdZnTe-based crystal as an active material and a Tungsten collimator with a field of view of 4.26 degrees. The energy range is from 25 keV to 300 keV with a spectral resolution between 5 keV-10 at 60 keV depending on the pixel size. Its main mission objective is to observe very bright galactic hard X-ray sources, transient and persistent. Secondary observations will focus on solar observations to study the hard X-ray spectra of flares and coronal holes. Other potential targets are transient bright events, such as gamma-ray bursts (GRB) and magnetar bursts. In this presentation the scientific aim of Sharjah-Sat-1 will be provided along with the results of laboratory calibration as well as sensitivity analysis based on in-orbit background simulations.
- Publication:
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44th COSPAR Scientific Assembly. Held 16-24 July
- Pub Date:
- July 2022
- Bibcode:
- 2022cosp...44.1989K