Compact Scintillator Array Detector (ComSAD) for sounding rocket and CubeSat missions

TL;DR

This paper introduces ComSAD, a compact scintillator array detector designed for sounding rockets and CubeSats, enabling affordable cosmic ray measurements in space with potential for constellation deployment.

Contribution

It presents the design, development, and performance evaluation of ComSAD, a novel small-scale cosmic ray detector suitable for sounding rockets and CubeSat missions.

Findings

Successful demonstration of ComSAD's performance in space-like conditions

Potential for measuring cosmic ray flux, direction, and energy

Feasibility of deploying ComSAD in constellation configurations

Abstract

The development of CubeSat and more frequent launch chances of sounding rockets are a total game changer to the space program, and it allows us to build space instruments to be more achievable and affordable. Therefore, it gives us a good opportunity to build a small cosmic ray detector which has capabilities to measure the flux, direction, and even energy of cosmic rays at the height above the limitation of balloon experiments, and it may open a new door for building a constellation of detectors to study cosmic ray physics. Compact Scintillator Array Detector (ComSAD) is dedicated for the sounding rocket mission of Taiwan's National Space Organization. In paper, we present the idea, design, and performance of ComSAD which is also suitable for CubeSat missions in the future.