CLIMB - A 3U CubeSat to Van Allen Belt

CLIMB is a 3U CubeSat whose goal is to reach the Van Allen belt with the help of an advanced propulsion system. Usually, the Van Allen radiation belt is avoided by spacecraft due to its high radiation levels. CLIMB aims exactly for this region to conduct various measurements. The spacecraft’s subsystems need to be designed in a way to cope with this rough environment and to ensure that even in case of failure or loss of the spacecraft, it still shall deorbit within 25 years, as required by the Austrian Space Law. Some of the systems of CLIMB have already flown and been qualified during the previous Austrian mission PEGASUS.