Space physics | 2017-2018

The Energetic Particle Telescope (EPT) was launched on the ESA satellite PROBA-V on 7 May 2013 to a LEO polar orbit at an altitude of 820 km. The instrument provides what are now 5 years of observations.

Since 2010, BIRA-IASB has developed the BRAMS (Belgian RAdio Meteor Stations) network in order to detect and characterize meteoroids. A more traditional “backscatter” system, an “in-house” meteor radar is currently built at the Geophysical Center in Dourbes.

We have identified a new type of solar radio burst associated with solar flares: ALF bursts. Observations of ALF bursts provide unique information on the early stages of solar flares.

The Sweeping Langmuir Probe (SLP), developed at BIRA-IASB, is one of the two instruments that will fly on board the ESA CubeSat PICASSO. The main objectives are to get insight into the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling and aurora.

The atmospheric escape rate for a hypothetical, unmagnetised Earth would be about the same as what it is for the real, magnetized planet where we live.

The 3-dimensional dynamic model of the plasmasphere developed at BIRA-IASB is now provided on the SSA (Space Situational Awareness) website of ESA.

From the zoo of neutral gases ROSINA discovered at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, a particular type of “animals” remained very elusive: the halogen-containing species.

Space plasmas are essentially collisionless gases out of thermal equilibrium, where enhanced populations of suprathermal particles are observed.

In the context of the THOR space mission proposal, IRAP (Toulouse) and BIRA-IASB designed the fastest and most accurate solar wind measurement apparatus ever.

The PECASUS consortium is one of three global space weather service centres. The Space Weather group at BIRA-IASB will be responsible for the coordination of the radiation expert group and for the provision of scientific support to the operators on duty.