The Light-1 mission aimed to launch a satellite to monitor and study Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs) - brief bursts of gamma rays produced by thunderstorms and lightning. This satellite was successfully deployed from the International Space Station in 2020, in cooperation with the UAE Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), SpaceX, New York University Abu Dhabi, and Khalifa University.

Launch

The satellite was launched on board a SpaceX CRS-24 mission.

CRS-24 docked to the International Space Station:

Launch broadcast

Technical Details

The satellite features the RAAD (Rapid Acquisition Atmospheric Detector) payload, a gamma-ray detection system which uses scintillating crystals that emit light when crossed by gamma-ray particles. The emitted light is collected by photomultipliers and processed by a dedicated electronic system.

The satellite’s firmware was developed in C++ for the STM32 microcontroller platform as part of a large team effort, utilizing:

• FreeRTOS: A real-time operating system for embedded systems, providing task scheduling and resource management
• CubeSat Space Protocol (CSP): A communication protocol designed for small satellite networks, enabling reliable data transmission
• STM32 Platform: Industry-standard ARM Cortex-M microcontroller providing the computational backbone for satellite operations

The firmware handled critical satellite functions, including:

• data acquisition and processing from the RAAD gamma-ray detection system
• communication with ground stations for global data sharing
• power management and battery monitoring
• attitude control and orbital positioning
• thermal regulation

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