Meet the Team: SPaRKLE

The team's payload, SPaRKLE (Small Particle Recognition Kit for Low Energies), has been developed to capture and analyse data on charged particles, soft gamma rays, and X-rays in low Earth orbit (LEO). SPaRKLE’s mission on Space Rider—a reusable spaceplane, planned for a two-month orbit—provides an opportunity to gather data on a range of cosmic phenomena, including gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), high-energy atmospheric physics-related phenomena such as Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs), and space weather transients. This data will contribute to a deeper understanding of LEO conditions, which is a key objective for SPaRKLE.

SPaRKLE incorporates silicon detectors and an inorganic scintillating calorimeter, facilitating particle detection and analysis. This configuration enables the team to perform event-based particle identification. Additionally, the mission will serve as a platform to test silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), allowing for the assessment of their reliability in space and the study of their performance degradation after exposure to the radioactive environment of LEO.

This project, conceived and developed by students at the University of Trento, represents a significant advancement in the region's engagement with space research. SPaRKLE offers students a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience with real space hardware and data analysis, equipping them with skills that will prove invaluable in their future scientific and engineering careers.

From its inception, the team of young researchers from Trentino has established a robust support network, which has grown considerably through numerous institutional and scientific collaborations.

In particular, the connection with the Bruno Kessler Foundation (FBK) and the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) — especially through TIFPA, the Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications — has served as an important starting point. This foundation has been strengthened by additional partners such as the ProM Facility and the Hub Innovation Trentino (HiT). 

Furthermore, the involvement of companies like Smart Engineering and ESATAN-TMS has further enriched the project, which is also supported by specific funding from the Foundation for the Valorization of Research in Trentino (VRT).

You can follow the progress of team SPaRKLE on LinkedIn and Instagram!