MSU’s New Satellite Heads to Orbit to Study Killer Electrons

A satellite built at Montana State University is scheduled to be launched into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying with it big hopes for unlocking the mysteries of space weather.

Dubbed the Relativistic Electron Atmospheric Loss CubeSat, or REAL, the small spacecraft will help scientists better understand how high-energy particles from the sun interact with Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere.

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According to a press release from Montana State University, the satellite is no bigger than a loaf of bread and was built at MSU’s Space Science and Engineering Laboratory (SSEL) as part of a $5 million NASA-funded mission in partnership with Dartmouth College, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and Boston University.

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REAL comprises a deceptively simple-looking aluminum box designed, built, and tested for space worthiness in the SSEL. Measuring about 4 inches by 4 inches by 1 foot, it houses the APL sensor, a sophisticated component to control the orientation of the spacecraft, and other mission-critical electronics developed at MSU.

On Wednesday, July 30, the satellite will deploy from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. REAL will spend at least six months collecting critical data on "killer electrons", fast-moving solar particles that can pose serious risks to satellites and even contribute to ozone layer depletion when they crash into Earth’s atmosphere.

REAL houses a state-of-the-art $1.5 million sensor from Johns Hopkins APL, the first of its kind able to rapidly detect and measure these high-energy particles as they rain down along Earth's magnetic field lines. This phenomenon sometimes results in the Northern Lights.

MSU has played a leading role in building CubeSats for the last 25 years. Since its founding in 2000, the SSEL has provided hands-on experience for undergraduate and graduate students aiming for careers in aerospace. Many former students now work at top companies like SpaceX and Lockheed Martin.

Effectively, we’re focused on educating undergraduate students and graduate students, getting them into an environment where this stuff is accessible. We give students an opportunity to come in and work on something that’s going into space. It’s a pretty unique thing.

said SSEL Senior Research Engineer Tyler Holliday.

The 75-minute launch window opens at 12:13 p.m. MDT on Wednesday, July 23, with live coverage available on SpaceX’s website and on their X (formerly Twitter) feed @SpaceX.

This mission isn’t just a technological achievement. It’s a testament to MSU’s role in training the next generation of space scientists and engineers right here in Big Sky Country.