FIREBIRD
The Focused Investigations of Relativistic Electron Burst Intensity, Range, and Dynamics (FIREBIRD) mission, launched in 2013, is focused on measuring electrons precipitating from the Van Allen radiation belts. Data from this mission will help scientists improve their understanding of space weather that can harm astronauts in space and impact technology on Earth.
FIREBIRD is a collaboration between the University of New Hampshire, Montana State University, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and The Aerospace Corporation with project funding provided by the National Science Foundation.
Get the Facts
Launch Date
2012
FIREBIRD-I Mission
Launched: December 5, 2013
FIREBIRD-II Mission
Launched: January 29, 2015
Mission Duration
4 months
Collaboration between
University of New Hampshire
Montana State University
Boston University
The Aerospace Corporation
Twin CubeSat Nanosatellites will measure
electrons precipitating from the
Van Allen Radiation Belts
Firebird Launch
On Thurs., Dec. 5, 2013 at 11:14:30 pm PST, FIREBIRD was among a payload of 12 CubeSats on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Dedicated to the payload of a major mission of the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, the rocket ride was shared with this secondary payload of CubeSat projects.
