Finnish hyperspectral microsatellite and AI-powered insights company Kuva Space has announced the successful completion of the Sunstorm CubeSat’s mission. After three years of operation, the Sunstorm satellite re-entered Earth’s atmosphere on September 4, 2024, at 10:30 EEST, marking the end of its mission that started under the European Space Agency’s (ESA) General Support Technology Programme (GSTP).
Launched in 2021, the Sunstorm satellite was a joint project of Kuva Space and Isaware, designed to monitor solar X-ray flares with its cutting-edge X-ray Flux Monitor (XFM-CS). The mission’s primary goal was to collect high-resolution data to advance our understanding of solar eruptions and space weather phenomena.
Kuva Space was the satellite platform provider, integrator, and operator in this ESA mission, while Isaware led the development and manufacturing of the X-Ray Flux Monitor for CubeSat (XFM-CS) instrument for the mission and performed the processing of acquired X-ray data for further use in science and services.
Observing solar X-rays is crucial for predicting space weather, but this can only be done from space. As our reliance on networks, electronic systems, and satellites grows, Sunstorm has improved our ability to predict space weather phenomena with unparalleled precision, making it the first of its kind with potential for commercial use.
Throughout its operation, Sunstorm exceeded expectations, delivering the most extensive and highest quality set of X-ray spectral data on solar flares available to date.
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