Currently, the Moscow University nanosatellite constellation Sozvezdie-270 is being deployed, i.e. 20 cubesat satellites have been launched, 9 of which continue to operate in orbit. The main goal of the multi-satellite constellation is to monitor space weather and electromagnetic transients of various natures, including atmospheric, astrophysical and solar origin. To conduct experiments on CubeSat satellites, various instruments have been developed to detect high-energy charged particles (mainly electrons and protons), gamma quanta in near-Earth space, as well as optical (ultraviolet and red) atmospheric glow. By now, important information on the effects of space weather associated with various manifestations of solar flare activity and its influence on the geomagnetic environment in near-Earth space has been obtained during measurements on the satellites of the Moscow University constellation. Of particular note are the results of observations of phenomena that lead to significant changes in radiation conditions in near-Earth space. In particular, such phenomena include the penetration of solar cosmic rays into the polar cap regions, leading to significant restructuring of radiation fields in the inner magnetosphere. Also important for determining local dose loads on given orbits is the change in the spatial structure of the distribution of high-energy electron flows in the outer belt due to magnetic storms, which in turn are caused by changes in the parameters of the solar wind due to active processes on the Sun.

The launch of the Scorpion small satellite in the cubesat 16U format is scheduled for the end of 2025. The main purpose of the satellite is to study flares in the upper atmosphere. The payload for atmospheric research includes a TGS gamma-ray spectrometer and an optical and UV photometer and spectrometer SONET. Another research on board the Scorpion satellite can be done with a complex of cosmic radiation detectors and a biocontainer designed to study the influence of cosmic factors on microorganisms. The satellite will be placed in a circular polar orbit with a height of 500 km, suitable for observations in all areas, including areas of thunderstorm activity near the equator and high latitudes, important for studying phenomena related to solar activity. The TGS device is a scintillation gamma-ray spectrometer that performs measurements in the range from 50 keV to 10 MeV. Four modules of TGS provide a sensitive area 250 cm2. The device will generate data both in the traditional monitoring format and in the event by event one. It is necessary for studying TGFs with a characteristic duration of 200 microseconds. SONET scientific equipment is designed to study the spatial and temporal dynamics and spectral composition of radiation from transient atmospheric phenomena and lightning discharges. It includes the highly sensitive imaging photometer, a spectrometer whose main purpose is to identify the type and height of the flash, and a pinhole camera aimed at the limb with an angular resolution of 30 mrad. The expected daily data volume of 100 MB will allow detailed information to be transmitted to Earth with simultaneous measurements by all instruments.

The experience of using measurements on a multi-level grouping spacecraft using the detecting instruments of the Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics Lomonosov Moscow State University are analyzes in the report. Also, there are discussed results of observations of some effects of space weather observed in 2024. It is concluded, that by using information from identical instruments on spacecraft located at different altitudes, it is possible to obtain a more complete picture of the spatial distribution and dynamics of particle and quantum fluxes in large areas of the near-Earth space. In particular, the detection of solar cosmic ray particles on satellites located in orbits of different altitudes confirmed that the depth of solar cosmic ray penetration into the magnetosphere depends on the energy of the particles. Besides, multi-satellite observations of electron precipitation before, during and after the July 30, 2025 earthquake in Kamchatka showed that there is no connection between this earthquake and electron precipitation from the radiation belts.

The space project Sozvezdie-270 of Moscow University is in progress now. It involves the deployment of a CubeSat nanosatellites constellation. To the present, 20 satellites have been launched, 9 of them continue to function in near-Earth orbit; one more will be launched in the near future. Instruments were developed specifically for the experiments on board small spacecraft of the CubeSat format, which provide measurements of fluxes and spectrum of charged particles, primarily electrons of relativistic and sub-relativistic energies, as well as gamma quanta. Along with the space constellation, a network of ground receiving stations is also being created. A multi-satellite constellation gives a number of advantages in studying dynamic processes in near-Earth space. In particular, it makes it possible to carry out simultaneous measurements of charged particle fluxes with instruments of the same type at different points in near-Earth space. Such measurements provide unique information about the flux of sub-relativistic electrons, including variations due to precipitation of electrons, which is of great importance for understanding the mechanisms of acceleration and losses of trapped and quasi-trapped electrons in Earth’s radiation belts (ERB). We discuss various recent space weather manifestations associated with increased solar flare activity. Among such effects is the filling of the polar caps with particles of solar cosmic rays, dynamic processes in outer ERB during magnetic storms, rapid variations in electron fluxes due to precipitation. We discuss various recent space weather manifestations associated with increased solar flare activity. Among such effects is the filling of the polar caps with particles of solar cosmic rays, dynamic processes in outer ERB during magnetic storms, rapid variations in electron fluxes due to precipitation.

The program of space exploration using small spacecraft, implemented at Moscow State University, involves the installation of a set of instruments for detecting energetic particles and gamma rays on cubesat satellites. Currently, cubesats equipped with DeCoR scintillation spectrometers designed to study space weather factors and astrophysical phenomena are operating in orbit. The use of two-layer scintillation detectors makes it possible to register gamma quanta and electrons separately, which gives the possibility to study the dynamics of radiation belts and electron precipitation simultaneously with solar and astrophysical gamma ray bursts in an experiment in a solar-synchronous orbit. The results of ground-based calibrations, as well as monitoring measurements in orbit using DeCoR instruments on cubesats launched in June 2023, demonstrate good opportunities for conducting the above-mentioned studies. In order to further improve the ability to conduct detailed studies of space radiation, MSU plans to use detector suites composed of two units: a position-sensitive detector based on the set of GAGG:Ce crystals and one detector-spectrometer based on the CsI(Tl) crystal. Computer modeling shows the possibility of implementing such a suite on small satellites. In 2024, it is planned to launch two satellites with prototypes of an enhanced instrumental suite in order to test the methodology of detailed measurements. (c) 2024 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of COSPAR.

Nano-satellites of cubesat format can be used effectively to study different aspects of space weather phenomena, such as high energy charge particle flux variations at near-Earth space as well as for monitoring cosmic gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and hard X-ray and gamma-ray emission of solar flares. Using a constellation of CubeSats enables cost-effective synchronous measurements of radiation fluxes at different points in space, effectively separating the spatial and temporal effects of observed flux variations. Since July 5, 2019, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) has realized its own program of cubesat employment. To the present date, 18 satellites in 1.5U, 3U, and 6U formats with the instruments developed at MSU have been launched, and 11 of them continue to operate on the solar-synchronous low-altitude orbits (400-600 km). The number of instruments elaborated especially for cubesats includes the universal Detector of Cosmic Radiation (DeCoR-1, DeCoR-2, and DeCoR-3 modifications), the Advanced Ultraviolet Radiometer (AURA, AURA-2) and the Complex Radiation Detector (CoRaD, i.e., KODIZ in Russian acronym). The DeCoR-1, DeCoR-2 and DeCoR-3 instruments allow for the detection of gamma-quanta and electrons in the energy ranges of 0.02-2.0 MeV and 0.3-10.0 MeV, respectively. The KODIZ instrument is intended especially to detect protons with energies higher than 300 MeV and electrons with energies higher than several MeV. The AURA and AURA-2 instruments are used to monitor atmospheric UV glow in 200-400 nm bands. Up until now, the good experience has been accumulated by using these instruments to measure different space weather effects, such as polar cups filling with solar cosmic rays, the dynamics of outer belt boundaries during geomagnetic storms, and electron precipitation in different areas of near-Earth space, including low-latitude regions. As a by-product, a number of GRB candidates were detected. The possibility of further development of multi-satellite group and perspectives to study the mentioned phenomena will be discussed in this paper. (c) 2024 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

This paper considers latest highlights in simultaneous and follow-up optical observations of high energy astrophysical phenomena by MASTER Global Robotic Net. Such extreme Universe sources includes gamma-ray bursts, gravitational wave events, detected by LIGO/Virgo, fast radio bursts, high energy neutrino sources and others. Some of the neutrinos detected by ground-based facilities owe their births to supermassive black holes – blazars, which are in a special anxious state with high statistical reliability. We discovered the effect of a rapid decrease in the brightness of the blazar PKS 0735+17 at the time of the multiple detection of the high-energy neutrino event IceCube-211208A. This decrease in brightness within several hours was detected with a high confidence (SNR 10) in comparison with a multi-day brightening state of the blazar, which was accompanied not only by a maximum increase in the average brightness, but also by an increase in the amplitude of its brightness fluctuations. Additionally, we analyzed all cases of successful observation of blazars around neutrino events and obtained statistically reliable indications of the relationship between neutrino events and optical activity of blazars in the doubled error box at the 4.2 σ level.

The aim of the researches is detecting and exploration of microorganisms of Terrestrial and Cosmic origin. Microorganisms are supposed to be studied in the near-earth space on space objects of manmade origin and on the space bodies of Solar system in the extraterrestrial space, including planets. For research, it is proposed to use the properties of microorganisms to emit a fluorescent glow when they irradiated with flashes of light causing their fluorescence. One of the research tasks is to search for terrestrial microorganisms that have occurred in space from Earth, as well as research of the survival of the terrestrial microorganisms in space conditions which shall be placed in special laboratories on board of the microsatellites on the Earth. The second task is to search for microorganisms on space bodies in interplanetary space by remote sensing of the surface of space bodies by flashes of light. To solve the first problem of this work is considered an example of a micro-laboratory for the study of terrestrial microorganisms located in space conditions in near-earth space on microsatellites. To solve the second problem, is considered an example of remote sensing equipment of space objects for searching for microorganisms on space bodies in interplanetary space which is installed on board of microsatellite created for far space exploration. Concerning to the first task it is shown that in automatic laboratories on microsatellites, it is possible to study the dynamics of microorganisms survival in space in conditions with a fixed habitat similar to earth's and in a changing environment that adequate the entry of microorganisms into open space and return them back to the earth conditions. Concerning to the second task it is shown that colonies of microorganisms on the surface of space bodies can be detected and studied from the orbits of their artificial satellites or from flight path trajectories near the space body at distances in order 200 km, and single microorganisms can be detected and studied at distances in order hundreds of meters

The authors demonstrate the possibility of using CubeSat nanosatellites to study solar cosmic rays (SCRs). SCR electron fluxes over the polar caps at altitudes of ∼550 km are detected. Measurements are made using scintillation detectors of cosmic radiation (DeCoR) mounted on several CubeSat nanosatellites of Moscow State University during an SCR event on September 6–21, 2022.

In this review we show that the space experiment with gamma-ray detector with sensitivity 2 orders of magnitude higher than existing ones will make it possible to discover up to a thousand neutron star mergers, even at those moments when gravitational wave (GW) antennas are not working. At the same time, synchronous detection of neutron stars mergers by gamma-ray and GW detectors will make it possible not only to study in detail the physical processes occurring at the time of the catastrophe, but also to determine the full gamma ray beam pattern, including the average jet divergence angle and the real energy of the explosion. A gamma detector that has the required sensitivity at a relatively low flight weight is proposed. The latter, in turn, will make it possible to clarify our ideas about the genesis of double relativistic stars in the Universe.

Gd3Al2Ga3O12:Ce (GAGG) scintillators with different readout photo -sensors, a 2 x 2 matrix of four SensL ARRAY J-60035-4P-BGA silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), and a HAMAMATSU R5505-70 photomultiplier (PMT) have been tested for neutrons obtained from neutron generators exploiting d -d and d -t reactions. It was demonstrated that neutrons having energy 2.8 MeV produce in the detector materials the spectrum of secondary particles, which is identical to the spectrum measured under thermal neutrons of the isotope sources. The pulse height spectra detected under 14.6 MeV neutrons were found to be quite different. Pulse shape discrimination (PSD) data processing technique was applied to separate neutron and gamma-ray signals. The signals of secondary particles, protons, and alpha-particles were confidently distinguished at the strong background of the gamma-rays. The results gathered open up the prospects of using the GAGG scintillator to identify neutrons generated in d -t reactions against a strong background of gamma-rays.

Electron fluxes with energies >0.3 MeV have been measured on the SiriusSat-1 satellite in the final stage of its flight in the altitude range from 400 to 180 km in the region of the South Atlantic anomaly. The existing models of distributions of electron fluxes in the near-Earth space such as the АЕ8 and АЕ9 models primarily concern trapped particles in radiation belts at altitudes above 400 km. Data on subrelativistic electron fluxes at altitudes below 300 km are almost absent. Since the SiriusSat-1 satellite operated until its burning in the atmosphere, unique measurements of the altitude behavior of subrelativistic electron fluxes have been performed, in particular in the region of the South Atlantic anomaly.

High-energy neutrinos could be produced in the interaction of charged cosmic rays with matter or radiation surrounding astrophysical sources. To look for transient sources associated with neutrino emission, a follow-up program of neutrino alerts has been operating within the ANTARES Collaboration since 2009. This program, named TAToO, has triggered robotic optical telescopes (MASTER, TAROT, ROTSE and the SVOM ground based telescopes) immediately after the detection of any relevant neutrino candidate and scheduled several observations in the weeks following the detection. A subset of ANTARES events with highest probabilities of being of cosmic origin has also been followed by the Swift and the INTEGRAL satellites, the Murchison Widefield Array radio telescope and the H.E.S.S. high-energy gamma-ray telescope. The results of twelve years of observations are reported. No optical counterpart has been significantly associated with an ANTARES candidate neutrino signal during image analysis. Constraints on transient neutrino emission have been set. In September 2015, ANTARES issued a neutrino alert and during the follow-up, a potential transient counterpart was identified by Swift and MASTER. A multi-wavelength follow-up campaign has allowed to identify the nature of this source and has proven its fortuitous association with the neutrino. The return of experience is particularly important for the design of the alert system of KM3NeT, the next generation neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean Sea.

Problems associated with observations and interpretation of the physical mechanisms underlying the generation of hard electromagnetic radiation from lightning discharges are considered. A review of modern problems of understanding the nature of atmospheric flashes of gamma radiation from the Earth’s atmosphere is given. The results of orbital observations, in particular, on the Vernov satellite, are analyzed. The possibilities of orbital observations of atmospheric gamma-ray flashes on CubeSat spacecraft are discussed, and a description of the recording equipment is given. The technique of a laboratory experiment with long sparks, which simulates electrical discharges in thunderclouds, is considered.

Within the framework of the Moscow University project “Constellation-270”, scientific instruments for the cubesat format satellites were developed, including the universal detectors of cosmic radiation DeCoR, DeCoR-2, and the KODIZ instrument, which is a combined detector of cosmic rays and other space particles. The DeCoR and DeCoR-2 instruments are designed to study fast variations in electron fluxes, as well as gamma-ray bursts of various nature. The DeCoR instrument is a scintillation spectrometer of gamma rays and electrons, its energy range is 0.05–2.0 meV, effective area is about 18 cm2. It successfully operated on satellites of the cubesat format SiriusSat-1,2, AmurSat, VDNKh-80, Norbi, DEKART, etc. The DeCoR-2 instrument is a modified version of the DeCoR instrument, characterized by an increased sensitive area up to ~60 cm2 and a wider energy range of 0.03–3.0 meV. The KODIZ instrument is designed to test equipment designed to detect radiation-dangerous fluxes of solar cosmic rays. The instrument includes a Cherenkov detector for detecting relativistic protons, semiconductor detectors and neutron detector. All mentioned devices are now operating in space. Modified instrument with pixelated detector based on GAGG:Ce scintillators is planned for launch in the next year

Within the framework of the Moscow University space project SOZVEZDIE-270, a constellation of cubesat nano-satellites with a set of instruments is being deployed, which, among other goals, provides monitoring of the near-Earth space radiation environment, control of the geo- and heliophysical conditions. Along with the space constellation, a network of ground receiving stations is also being created. During the project implementation, 11 spacecraft of the cubesat format have been launched to date. Currently, there are 6 such spacecraft operating in near-Earth orbit, which transmit scientific and telemetric data. During 2023–2024 it is planned to launch at least 8 more such satellites into low circular polar orbits. Multi-satellite constellation has been implemented, which makes it possible to carry out simultaneous measurements of particle and quantum fluxes using the same type of instruments at different points in the near-Earth space. Such measurements provide unique information about the sub-relativistic electron flux dynamics, including variations due to precipitation, which is of great importance for understanding the mechanisms of trapped and quasi-trapped electron acceleration and losses.

This article presents the early results of synchronous multiwavelength observations of one of the brightest gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) GRB 160625B with the detailed continuous fast optical photometry of its optical counterpart obtained by MASTER and with hard X-ray and gamma-ray emission, obtained by the Lomonosov and Konus-Wind spacecraft. The detailed photometry led us to detect the quasi-periodical emission components in the intrinsic optical emission. As a result of our analysis of synchronous multiwavelength observations, we propose a three-stage collapse scenario for this long and bright GRB. We suggest that quasiperiodic fluctuations may be associated with forced precession of a self-gravitating rapidly rotating superdense body (spinar), whose evolution is determined by a powerful magnetic field. The spinar's mass allows it to collapse into a black hole at the end of evolution.

Multi-channel astronomy is one of the most important and rapidly developing field of modern physics. The well known result of multi-channel observations is simultaneous detection of gravitational wave and gamma ray bursts associated with neutron star merger event. This observation open a new window to study the Universe, and actually triggered the broad scale study of astrophysical phenomena in hard X-Rays and gamma rays by orbital experiments together with ground based observations of gravitational waves, neutrino and ultra-high energy cosmic rays. From this perspective it appears that small satellites of CubeSat type are quite appropriate for multi-channel observations of astrophysical transients because it is the cheapest way to realize all-sky monitoring observations by orbital instruments. Presently at D.V. Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics of the M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (SINP MSU) a new project named Universat-SOCRAT is under development which is intended for operational monitoring of near-Earth's radiation environment and monitoring of electromagnetic transients in the optical, UV, X-ray and gamma ranges. Here we discuss the first results of charged particles, gamma quanta fluxes and UV-emission measurements from the upper atmosphere in several CubeSat missions, which were successfully launched in 2019, 2020.

We present MASTER Global Robotic Net (Lipunov et al. 2010) earliest optical alert observations of IceCube-170922A error box. We discovered fast variability of blazar TXS 0506+056 27 sec after notice time (73s after the trigger time) at 2017-09-22 20:55:43 UT by MASTER-Tavrida robotic telescope. MASTER found the blazar TXS 0506+056 to be in the off-state after one minute and then switched to the on-state no later than two hours after the event. The effect is observed at a 50-sigma significance level. We also analysed own unique 16-years light curve of blazar TXS 0506+056 (518 data set).

The detailed continuous fast optical photometry analysis obtained by MASTER Global Network for the GRB160625B optical counterpart MASTER OT J203423.51+065508.0 is presented. There are also hard X-ray and gamma-ray emission obtained by the Lomonosov and Konus-Wind spacecrafts detectors. We detected quasiperiodic emission components in the intrinsic optical emission of GRB160625B and propose a three-stage collapse scenario for this long and bright GRB. We associate quasiperiodic fluctuations with forced precession of a Spinar, i.e. self-gravitating rapidly rotating super dense body, whose evolution is determined by a powerful magnetic field. The spinar's mass lead it to collapse into a black hole at the end of an evolution.