Sector: Astrobiology

Number of satellites: 1

Form factor: 6 U

BOREALIS is a Cubesat scientific mission aimed at: evaluating the effects of microgravity and ionizing radiation on microbial biofilms; test the combined effectiveness of radiation protection systems based on physical shielding and drug treatment; clarify the mechanism of generation of secondary particles with a high dose factor generated by the interaction between the satellite materials and high-energy cosmic radiation. A multidisciplinary approach will be adopted which envisages the construction of a nanosatellite platform equipped with cells of genetically modified microorganisms, grown in sessile conditions; a scientific payload that allows the execution of biological experiments on cultures of living cells exposed to the space environment and their observation in real time under the epifluorescence microscope; a system of dosimetry and spectrometric analysis of the radiations to which the cells are exposed and of shielding and pharmacological protection of the cells themselves. The BOREALIS mission will include a phase on a Low  Earth Orbit (LEO) at 700 km to highlight the effects of microgravity and a second phase at 1100-1600 km to study the effects of a higher orbit radiative environment. This mission therefore aims to provide crucial information for the preparation of future human missions to the Moon and Mars.

Proposing team: Dipartimento di Chimica “Giacomo Ciamician”, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna (Prime), Scuola di Ingegneria Aerospaziale, Sapienza Università di Roma E Kayser Italia Srl