NASA’s shoebox-sized ‘BurstCube’ satellite set to study short gamma-ray bursts

NASA’s compact satellite BurstCube has embarked on its journey to the International Space Station,laboratory for scientific research.The spacecraft hitched a ride aboard SpaceX’s 30th Commercial Resupply Services mission.

It was launched at 4:55 pm EDT on Thursday (Mar 21) from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, US.BurstCube is a NASA mission designed to detect and locate gamma-ray bursts (GRBs).

GRBs are powerful explosions that occur in distant galaxies and are among the most energetic events in the universe. BurstCube is aiming to study these bursts to better understand their origins and properties.

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Upon reaching the station, BurstCube will be unpacked and subsequently deployed into orbit.

“BurstCube may be small, but in addition to investigating these extreme events, it’s testing new technology and providing important experience for early career astronomers and aerospace engineers,” remarked Jeremy Perkins, BurstCube’s principal investigator at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

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Short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are thought to be formed by the merger of two neutron stars. There stars spiral inward and eventually merge due to gravitational wave emission.

These bursts play a role in the creation of heavy elements like gold or iodine.During a GRB, particularly those associated, extremely high-energy conditions are present. These conditions, including high temperatures and densities, facilitate the production of heavy elements.

BurstCube's detectors are strategically positioned to enable wide-area detection and localisation of events, as per research scientist Israel Martinez at the University of Maryland, College Park, and Goddard.

“Our current gamma-ray missions can only see about 70 per cent of the sky at any moment because Earth blocks their view. Increasing our coverage with satellites like BurstCube improves the odds we’ll catch more bursts coincident with gravitational wave detections.”

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The satellite’s primary instrument is adept at capturing gamma rays within the energy range of 50,000 to 1 million electron volts.

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Julie Cox, a BurstCube mechanical engineer at Goddard said, “We were able to order many of BurstCube’s parts, like solar panels and other off-the-shelf components, which are becoming standardised for CubeSats."

“That allowed us to focus on the mission’s novel aspects, like the made-in-house components and the instrument, which will demonstrate how a new generation of miniaturised gamma-ray detectors work in space.”

(With inputs from agencies)