BOREALIS Satellite - Nanosats Database

Satellite name	BOREALIS (Biofilm Onboard Radiation Exposure Assessment Lab In Space)
Form factor	CubeSat
Units or mass	6U
Status	not launched, expected in 2026
Launcher	not launched
Entity name	Università di Bologna
Institution	Company
Entity	Commercial
Nation	Italy
Manufacturer	AIVT by ?
Operator	?
Partners	Scuola di Ingegneria Aerospaziale, Sapienza University of Rome, Kayser Italia
Oneliner	Evaluating the effects of microgravity and ionizing radiation on microbial biofilms and test the combined effectiveness of radiation protection systems
Description	BOREALIS is a Cubesat scientific mission aimed at: evaluating the effects of microgravity and ionizing radiation on microbial biofilms; test the combined effectiveness of radiation protection systems based on physical shielding and drug treatment; clarify the mechanism of generation of secondary particles with a high dose factor generated by the interaction between the satellite materials and high-energy cosmic radiation. A multidisciplinary approach will be adopted which envisages the construction of a nanosatellite platform equipped with cells of genetically modified microorganisms, grown in sessile conditions; a scientific payload that allows the execution of biological experiments on cultures of living cells exposed to the space environment and their observation in real time under the epifluorescence microscope; a system of dosimetry and spectrometric analysis of the radiations to which the cells are exposed and of shielding and pharmacological protection of the cells themselves. The BOREALIS mission will include a phase on a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at 700 km to highlight the effects of microgravity and a second phase at 1100-1600 km to study the effects of a higher orbit radiative environment. This mission therefore aims to provide crucial information for the preparation of future human missions to the Moon and Mars.
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Last modified: 2023-10-21