Sector: Heliophysics/Space weather
Number of satellites: 1
Form factor: 12U
SEE (Sun cubE onE) is a 12U CubeSat dedicated to observing the Sun at high energies. Placed in a low-altitude Sun-synchronous orbit (LEO-SSO), at approximately 530 km, the mission will analyze the emission of our star in the ultraviolet (UV), soft-X, and Gamma bands. SEE will make a significant contribution to the study of solar activity, Sun-Earth interactions, space weather, and the security of space infrastructure. Among the mission's central objectives are the analysis, on very short timescales, of solar flare emission across the range spanning soft-X to Gamma rays and the monitoring of solar activity through full-disk images acquired in the Mg II doublet at 280 nm. Soft-X and Gamma fluxes will be detected with a temporal resolution never before achieved, adopting a multi-band approach made possible by detectors based on silicon photomultipliers. The energy spectrum of flares will be investigated from keV to MeV, with a nominal cadence of approximately 1 kHz (up to 10 kHz) and with the capability to detect single photons. The UV telescope will make it possible to track, on the solar disk, the evolution of ultraviolet emission both across portions of the solar cycle and during flares. Emission at 280 nm represents an established indicator of solar magnetic activity within the “Sun-as-a-star” paradigm and is particularly useful for the study of the thermosphere, ionosphere, and stratospheric ozone. The data collected by SEE will complement radiative and particle measurements obtained from other space missions and ground-based observatories (including Solar Orbiter, CSES, GOES, HENON, CUSP, DKIST, TSST), as well as geomagnetic data, within a multi-messenger approach.
Development team: Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata” (Principal Investigator); Argotec S.r.l.; INFN – Sezione di Roma Tor Vergata; Scuola di Ingegneria Aerospaziale – Sapienza Università di Roma; NEAT S.r.l.; NEXT Ingegneria dei Sistemi S.p.A.; Optec S.p.A.
Development status: Phase B (preliminary design) closed.
