CubeSat Light-1

On February 3, 2022, the Light-1 CubeSat was released into orbit from the International Space Station.CubeSat was developed by students and teachers from New York University Abu Dhabi.Partners include UAE Space Agency, Bahrain National Space Agency, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, JAXA, etc.

Light-1 is the first project in the region to monitor and study gamma-ray flashes in Earth's storms and lightning.Light-1 will study the health effects of high-energy gamma rays on the atmosphere, air traffic and aviation personnel.These rays are able to pass through the aircraft structure.Light-1's gamma-ray detection system RAAD uses the latest detection technology, comparable to large satellites, and will make an important contribution to the study of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes.

RAAD uses scintillators for detection.A scintillator is a crystal that emits light with a fast response time when subatomic ions pass through it.The flash is collected by a photomultiplier and processed with a dedicated circuit.RAAD uses different kinds of crystals and specially designed electronics.