The scientific payload on-board the HERMES-TP and HERMES-SP CubeSat missions

Abstract

HERMES (High Energy Rapid Modular Ensemble of Satellites) Technological and Scientific pathfinder is a space borne mission based on a LEO constellation of nano-satellites. The 3U CubeSat buses host new miniaturized detectors to probe the temporal emission of bright high-energy transients such as Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). Fast transient localization, in a field of view of several steradians and with arcmin-level accuracy, is gained by comparing time delays among the same event detection epochs occurred on at least 3 nano-satellites. With a launch date in 2022, HERMES transient monitoring represents a keystone capability to complement the next generation of gravitational wave experiments. In this paper we will illustrate the HERMES payload design, highlighting the technical solutions adopted to allow a wide-energy-band and sensitive X-ray and gamma-ray detector to be accommodated in a CubeSat 1U volume together with its complete control electronics and data handling system.

12 pages, 13 figures. Proceedings of SPIE "Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation" 2020

References in corpus (2)

• A Comparison of Trapped Particle Models in Low Earth Orbit
• An innovative architecture for a wide band transient monitor on board the HERMES nano-satellite constellation

Cited by in corpus (7)

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• A compact instrument for gamma-ray burst detection on a CubeSat platform II: Detailed design, assembly and validation
• Design and development of the HERMES Pathfinder payloads
• Calibration of the first detector flight models for the HERMES constellation and the SpIRIT mission
• HERMES-Pathfinder
• The power supply unit onboard the HERMES nano-satellite constellation
• CubeSats Reach the Millisecond X-Ray Domain: Crab Pulsar Timing with SpIRIT/HERMES