Descrizione del progetto
Monitorare la radiazione ad alta energia nello spazio con i nanosatelliti
Il progetto HERMES-SP, finanziato dall’UE, intende progettare una costellazione di nanosatelliti che orbitino vicino alla Terra. Ognuno di essi sarà dotato di un carico in miniatura, pensato per rilevare i lampi di raggi gamma e i corrispondenti elettromagnetici delle onde gravitazionali. I carichi semplici e miniaturizzati riducono da uno a due ordini di grandezza il costo dell’invio di navicelle spaziali in orbita e, al contempo, permettono di passare dalla progettazione alla produzione di una navicella spaziale in pochi anni. Nel prossimo decennio, dispositivi efficienti per il monitoraggio di tutto il cielo, con buone capacità di localizzazione, svolgeranno un ruolo cruciale nell’astrofisica multi-messaggio.
Obiettivo
HERMES (High Energy Rapid Modular Ensemble of Satellites) Scientific Pathfinder (HERMES-SP) is a mission concept based on a constellation of nano-satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), hosting new miniaturized detectors to probe the X-ray temporal emission of bright high-energy transients such as Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB) and the electromagnetic counterparts of Gravitational Wave Events (GWE).
HERMES-SP main goal is to design and implement the first GRBs localisation experiment through a distributed space architecture realized by a 3 +3 CubeSat federation, each equipped with the novel detector to gain a wide deep space coverage and demonstrate capabilities in precisely localising the GRB event in space.
HERMES-SP exploits synergies with an ongoing project funded by the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI).
GRB localisation is gained by comparing time delays among the same event detection epochs occurred on - at least - 3 detectors spaced out on different satellites. Distribution in space and event detection are the fundamental ingredient to start building up the whole scientific experiment.
HERMES-SP is aiming at demonstrating detection and localisation of high-energy transients feasibility with disruptive technologies and limited effort: simple payload on nano-satellites and a disruptive level of cost-effectiveness: 1-2 order of magnitude cost lower than that standard space projects (ESA class M mission, NASA Explorer mission), 1 order of magnitude lower lifecycle compared with 10-15 years for standard Space Science projects.
The HERMES-SP represents also a step forward the HERMES Full Constellation (HERMES-FC), supposed to further increase the distributed detection points in space with several tents of detector-equipped CubeSats in LEO which timely and completely monitor the Universe listening for and chasing GWEs. It is, therefore preparatory for a proposal to European Entities (Commission, Space Agency), for the HERMES-FC implementation.
Campo scientifico
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinatore
00136 Roma
Italia