NASA is preparing to launch the CubeSat Radio Interferometry Experiment (CURIE), a groundbreaking mission aimed at unraveling the mysteries of radio waves emitted by the sun.
Scheduled to lift off on Tuesday aboard an Ariane 6 rocket provided by the European Space Agency (ESA), CURIE will embark on its journey from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. The mission involves two tiny spacecraft, each no bigger than a shoebox, orbiting Earth at an altitude of approximately 360 miles (about 580 kilometers).
CURIE’s mission is to study radio burst emissions from solar eruptions such as flares and coronal mass ejections within the inner heliosphere. These solar events are critical drivers of space weather, influencing auroral activity and causing geomagnetic effects on Earth that can impact satellites, communication systems, and power grids.
What sets CURIE apart is its use of low-frequency radio interferometry, a technique never before employed in space. By positioning the two spacecraft about two miles apart, CURIE will measure minute differences in the arrival times of radio waves from the sun. This precise timing allows scientists to pinpoint the origins of these radio emissions with unprecedented accuracy.
“This technique relies on CURIE’s two independent spacecraft, which together form a unique interferometer in space,” explained a NASA spokesperson. “By observing radio waves in the 0.1-19 MHz frequency range, which cannot penetrate Earth’s upper atmosphere, CURIE will provide insights that are impossible to obtain from ground-based observatories.”
The mission, designed by a team from the University of California, Berkeley, represents a significant advancement in our ability to monitor and understand space weather phenomena. Understanding the origins and behaviors of solar radio waves not only enriches our knowledge of the sun but also enhances our capacity to protect vital technological infrastructure on Earth.
As CURIE embarks on this pioneering mission, scientists and space enthusiasts around the world eagerly anticipate the new discoveries it will bring about our closest star and its influence on our planet.
