Small Satellite Contracted to Probe Climate Effects of Space Radiation

Small Satellite Contracted to Probe Climate Effects of Space Radiation
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 30, 2025

The University of Alberta has contracted SFL Missions Inc. to develop the RADICALS small satellite, a mission designed to study how energetic particles from space interact with Earth's atmosphere and influence the climate system. The project is supported by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Government of Alberta, and the Canadian Space Agency.

Built on SFL's proven DEFIANT bus, RADICALS will employ an unusual end-over-end spin as it travels in near-polar orbit. This maneuver allows its instruments to capture continuous 360-degree measurements of incoming space radiation, offering unprecedented accuracy in quantifying atmospheric energy input.

"RADICALS will be a voyage of discovery to understand the space weather impacts on the Earth's climate system," said Prof Ian Mann, mission Principal Investigator at the University of Alberta. The spacecraft will carry three instrument suites: an X-ray Imager, High Energy Particle Telescope, and Magnetometers, totaling 11 sensors.

The mission seeks to determine how energetic particles, usually trapped in Earth's magnetic field, are scattered into the atmosphere during intense space weather. These processes, largely driven by solar activity, play a key role in coupling the near-Earth space environment with the planet's climate system.

In addition to climate studies, data from RADICALS will improve space weather forecasting and provide radiation warnings for polar aviation routes and satellite operators. Severe space weather events can disrupt communications, navigation, and satellite performance.

According to SFL CEO Dr Robert E. Zee, "The primary design objective of RADICALS is creating a spacecraft that is spin stabilized and magnetically quiet. Mission specifications will also require us to accommodate and coordinate among 11 onboard sensors."

To achieve this, the spacecraft will use a Thomson Spinner configuration, rotating at least twice per minute to remain stable without generating electromagnetic interference. While it will be capable of periodic alignment corrections using magnetic torquers and reaction wheels, much of its operation will occur in a passive, electromagnetically quiet mode.

The RADICALS mission will strengthen Canada's role in climate and space weather research, delivering new insights into the mechanisms linking solar particles, Earth's atmosphere, and long-term climate impacts.