Space-Weather Monitoring, 12U CubeSat Design

As American and international space policy decisions continue to focus on crewed, lunar exploration missions, it will be necessary for space mission operators to prepare for significant risks that may occur outside of the Earth’s magnetic field. Such risks include coronal mass ejections and other similar solar events, which can expose astronauts to dangerous radiation dosages. In a long-duration mission, ample warning is required to give astronauts time to seek shelter. However, the capabilities of current detection systems are limited and cannot identify active solar regions. This system can be improved by utilizing a Heliocentric satellite. The primary objective of this project is to design a 12U Heliocentric CubeSat, to utilize a white light coronagraph and extreme ultraviolet imager to provide real-time monitoring and alert capabilities for solar energetic particles.