In-orbit Operation and Performance of the CubeSat Soft X-ray Polarimeter PolarLight
astro-ph.IM
/ Authors
Hong Li, Xiangyun Long, Hua Feng, Qiong Wu, Jiahui Huang, Weichun Jiang, Massimo Minuti, Dongxin Yang, Saverio Citraro, Hikmat Nasimi
and 14 more authors
Jiandong Yu, Ge Jin, Ming Zeng, Peng An, Luca Baldini, Ronaldo Bellazzini, Alessandro Brez, Luca Latronico, Carmelo Sgro, Gloria Spandre, Michele Pinchera, Fabio Muleri, Paolo Soffitta, Enrico Costa
/ Abstract
PolarLight is a compact soft X-ray polarimeter onboard a CubeSat, which was launched into a low-Earth orbit on October 29, 2018. In March 2019, PolarLight started full operation, and since then, regular observations with the Crab nebula, Sco X-1, and background regions have been conducted. Here we report the operation, calibration, and performance of PolarLight in the orbit. Based on these, we discuss how one can run a low-cost, shared CubeSat for space astronomy, and how CubeSats can play a role in modern space astronomy for technical demonstration, science observations, and student training.