The PING-M experiment is designed to investigate solar X-ray activity. The instrument includes a hard X-ray polarimeter (PING-P), a hard X-ray spectrometer (HXRS) and a soft X-ray spectrometer (SXRS). PING-P has the energy range of 20-150 keV and an effective area of about 2.5 cm(2). It uses three organic scintillation detectors as active scatterers, which work in coincidence with six absorber detectors, based on CSI(T1) scintillator. This technique allows us to considerably improve the polarimeter sensitivity. HXRS has the energy range of 20-600 keV and an effective area of about 15 cm2. It is based on a fast inorganic scintillator (LaBr3(Ce) or CeBr3) with a relatively high energy resolution of 3.5-4.5% at 662 keV. The SXRS energy range is 1.5-25 keV, and its aperture is empty set0.1 mm, which provides the registration of solar flares in the range from C1 to X20 class of GOES scale. It is based on a SDD semiconductor detector with an energy resolution better than 200 eV at 5.9 keV line. The experiment will be performed onboard the Russian interplanetary mission Interhelioprobe which is planned for launch after 2025. The instrument will allow us to investigate angular and energy distributions of accelerated electrons, plasma heating processes, etc. Stereoscopic polarimetry and spectrometric observations will be possible if a similar instrument is installed onboard a near Earth satellite, or the second probe of the Interhelioprobe mission. (C) 2016 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Interhelioprobe mission aims to investigate the inner heliosphere and the Sun from close distances (up to 0.3 AU) and from out of the ecliptic plane (up to 30°). In this paper we present the relevance of the mission and its main scientific objectives, describe the scientific payload, ballistic scenario and orbits of the spacecraft. Possibilities of scientific cooperation with other solar and heliospheric space missions are also mentioned.

The CORONAS-PHOTON Russian satellite intended to study the Sun was successfully launched into orbit on January 30, 2009. Scientific equipment of the satellite includes the PHOKA radiometer of soft X-ray and extreme UV radiation. The PHOKA instrument is intended to measure the absolute flux of solar electromagnetic radiation in the spectral windows of 0.5–7 nm, 0.5–11 nm, 27–37 nm, and 116–125 nm. When leaving and entering the Earth’s shadow, the instrument aboard the spacecraft measures absorption of radiation by various layers of the Earth’s atmosphere. Before the launch, photodiodes of the instrument had been calibrated using a synchrotron radiation source. In-flight stability of sensitivity of main channels is controlled using calibration channels. The paper describes the PHOKA instrument and presents its capabilities and main characteristics, as well as some results of its operation in orbit.