Unveiling Energetic Particle Dynamics in the Near-Earth Environment From CubeSat Missions

The discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts marked a prominent milestone in space physics. Recent advances, through the measurements of two CubeSat missions, have shed new light on the dynamics of energetic particles in the near-Earth environment. Measurements from CSSWE, a student-led mission, revealed that the decay of low-energy neutrons, associated with cosmic rays impacting the atmosphere, is the primary source of relativistic electrons at the inner edge of the inner belt (Li et al., Nature, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature2464). Recently CIRBE captured striking details of energetic electron dynamics (Li et al., GRL, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023gl107521), further demonstrating high-quality science achievable with CubeSat missions.