TAU-SAT 3

The Israeli TAU-SAT 3 (Tel Aviv University Satellite) 3U CubeSat was a Cubesat project at the Tel Aviv University's Nanosatellite Center, an interdisciplinary endeavor of the Faculties of Engineering and Exact Sciences and the Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences. It is a mission aimed at conducting space-borne, in-situ scientific measurements and data-gathering of the particle composition in Polar orbit.

The mission was to provide the necessary measurements required to investigate variations in the properties of galactic cosmic rays and solar rays over position and time.

Specifically:

• The relation between space-radiation and solar magnetic storms and geophysical processes,
• Variations caused by solar rotation, and
• Long term variations caused by the sun's 11 year solar-cycle.

The mission can also provide complementary data to other space-based and ground-based measurements, to investigate additional scientific phenomena. Furthermore, it can be used for calibrating space-weather models, to benefit the aerospace industry and satellite operators.

The satellite's payload is a miniaturized particle telescope with a stacked array of silicon and novel position-sensitive plastic-scintillator detectors with accompanying electronics, which are designed to support high-rate data-readout and onboard data-processing. Employing a large detection-sensitive area, this mission can provide a wealth of continuous measurements. The measurements include the monitoring of composition, flux, energy spectrum and direction of impinging particles. The satellite will provide this data whilst covering the entire area of the earth, along with its poles, twice a day for several years.

The satellite was to be launched onboard a cargo spacecraft to the ISS, where it as to be deployed later.

During development the opportunity arose to conduct experiments on the ISS under the Rakia project, so the TAU-SAT 3 project was changed to an internal ISS experiment.