Calibration of the first detector flight models for the HERMES constellation and the SpIRIT mission

TL;DR

This paper details the ground calibration procedures and performance characterization of the first flight detectors for the HERMES CubeSat constellation and the SpIRIT mission, focusing on their X-ray and gamma-ray detection capabilities.

Contribution

It presents the calibration plan, detector performance, and characterization results for the first flight models of HERMES and SpIRIT detectors, advancing miniaturized space-based high-energy detectors.

Findings

Successful calibration of HERMES detectors

Performance metrics meet mission requirements

Enhanced understanding of detector behavior in space conditions

Abstract

HERMES (High Energy Rapid Modular Ensemble of Satellites) is a space-borne mission based on a constellation of six 3U CubeSats flying in a low-Earth orbit, hosting new miniaturized instruments based on a hybrid Silicon Drift Detector/GAGG:Ce scintillator photodetector system sensitive to X-rays and gamma-rays. Moreover, the HERMES constellation will operate in conjunction with the Australian-Italian Space Industry Responsive Intelligent Thermal (SpIRIT) 6U CubeSat, that will carry in a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) an actively cooled HERMES detector system payload. In this paper we provide an overview of the ground calibrations of the first HERMES and SpIRIT flight detectors, outlining the calibration plan, detector performance and characterization.