Sector: Planetary exploration

Number of satellites: 1

Form Factor: 6 U

The interplanetary missions, flying beyond the magnetopause, do not benefit from the natural protection provided by the Earth's magnetic field against radiation, which is harmful to electronic components. In the case of Martian Mission scenarios and in particular, for small missions, it is essential to maximize the use of low-cost components which, however, guarantee operation in environments with a high radiation content. The RAMSESS Project (RAdiation Measurement Sensor with Enhanced Sensibility for Space exploration) refers to a Small Cubesat Mission to be launched in Earth's Polar Orbit (maximizing the radiation load for Earth's orbits) for the technological validation of an innovative cosmic radiation sensor. The sensor is a dosimeter based on the CdZnTe semiconductor capable of simultaneously measuring the total dose absorbed by the detector (measuring the energy deposited over time), the energy of each single interaction event, and the nature of each single event (discriminating between photons X and Gamma, electrons, protons, ions and neutrons). The extensive and complete measurement proposed represents an innovation in the field of space missions with similar purposes. Once the radiation load is known, the effect on the electronics and the methods for designing the shields will be verified. Another application of the sensor is Gamma Ray Burst detection in the context of multi-message astronomy.

Proposing team: Centro Italiano Ricerche Aerospaziali (CIRA) (Prime), IMT, Kayser Italia, Due2Lab, UniNa, PoliMi