SPACEDOS dosimeter passed another important test ahead of the ISS mission

Last week, the Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, in cooperation with the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, carried out a test of the engineering model of the SPACEDOS 04 dosimeter,which is being developed within the CZPAD project for the mission of Czech astronaut Aleš Svoboda. The device was lifted to an altitude of over 32 kilometres using a meteorological sounding balloon, during which it passed through the conditions of the upper stratosphere and was exposed to significant changes in pressure and temperature.

The aim of the experiment was to verify the functionality of the dosimeter in the upper atmosphere while also monitoring changes in cosmic radiation flux depending on altitude. During the flight, the instrument recorded the characteristic altitude profile of radiation intensity. In the lower layers of the atmosphere, the flux was reduced due to the attenuation of secondary showers in the denser atmosphere; with increasing altitude, it gradually increased, reaching its maximum at approximately 15–20 kilometres before decreasing again.

The region of maximum secondary cosmic radiation intensity, known as the Regener-Pfotzer maximum, represented one of the key parts of the experiment. The test therefore made it possible to verify the correct operation of the instrument and confirm the expected radiation profile in the upper atmosphere.

The balloon flight represents one of the important milestones before the planned experimental deployment of the SPACEDOS dosimeter aboard the International Space Station (ISS). In addition to the measurement itself, the project also included documentation of the entire experiment — from the preparation and launch of the balloon to flight monitoring and the subsequent recovery of the device in the field.

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