Australian nanosatellite SpIRIT (Space Industry Responsive Intelligent Thermal) successfully completed the initial phase of the mission, which became an important milestone for the development of national space technologies. The device was created under the leadership of the University of Melbourne in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency (BUT) and became the first Australian space telescope, whose main scientific load is an instrument of a foreign space agency.
Launched in December 2023 of the year by the Falcon rocket 9 company SpaceX from California, the satellite is in orbit over 600 days, having carried out over 9 000 revolutions around the Earth. The distance traveled by him is equivalent to a trip from Earth to Mars and back.
The task of the mission
SpIRIT has a total service life of more than 1 000 days. After completion of the test phase, the apparatus moves to the main scientific program — the search and registration of gamma-ray bursts with the help of the HERMES detector. These high-energy events occur as a result of the collision or death of stars and are extremely difficult to predict. The satellite will act as an early warning system, alerting astronomers to events for further ground-based and space-based observations.
Technical features
SpIRIT is equipped with a unique wing-shaped thermal regulation system, developed at the University of Melbourne, which allows lowering the temperature of the apparatus and increasing the efficiency of scientific instruments. During transition to operational configuration, the satellite deployed this system along with “selfie stick”, with which he took a picture in orbit. The photo shows the device with the emblems of partner organizations, that ensured its creation. When fully deployed, SpIRIT reaches a size of about one meter.
International cooperation
The SpIRIT mission became an example of effective cooperation between Australia and Italy in the field of space. A prototype of a miniature detector is installed on board the device, developed by the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF) under the aegis of ASI. Its functionality was confirmed during the observation of the Crab gamma pulsar, which was recorded only for 700 seconds of exposure.
The mission highlights Australia's ability to develop and operate sophisticated spacecraft, test new technologies in space and integrate international scientific payloads, which strengthens the country's position in the global space community.
Source: https://phys.org