In Flight Performance of the MAGIC Magnetoresistive Magnetometer on the RadCube CubeSat

Area of Science:

• Space Physics
• Planetary Science
• Space Weather

Background:

• In situ magnetic field measurements are crucial for space physics and planetary science.
• CubeSats and similar platforms necessitate low-resource sensors for space-based observations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the design, development, construction, and flight of the miniaturized MAGIC magnetometer.
• To assess the performance of the MAGIC instrument on the RadCube Technology Demonstration CubeSat over its mission lifetime.

Main Methods:

• The MAGIC instrument utilizes two Anisotropic Magneto-Resistive (AMR) vector sensors: one boom-mounted outboard and one inboard.
• The RadCube CubeSat was launched into a sun-synchronous low-Earth polar orbit on August 17, 2021.

Main Results:

• The MAGIC instrument met European Space Agency (ESA) space weather magnetic field measurement requirements.
• Over two years of data, the instrument detected field-aligned current signatures at high latitudes.
• Both outboard and inboard sensors provided reliable magnetic field measurements throughout the mission.

Conclusions:

• The MAGIC instrument demonstrates the feasibility of low-resource magnetometers for CubeSat missions.
• The collected data contributes valuable insights into space weather phenomena and high-latitude electrodynamics.
• The successful long-term operation validates the design and performance of miniaturized space-based magnetic field sensors.