MVN Space Experiment: The First Results of Its In-orbit Operation

Abstract

We describe the scientific and technological goals of the ‘‘Monitor Vsego Neba’’ (MVN, All-Sky Monitor) space experiment and present its first results. This experiment began to operate onboard the International Space Station (ISS) on December 19, 2024. An analysis of the first results of its observations and the in-orbit operation of the equipment has shown that the basic MVN characteristics correspond to the declared ones in sensitivity, spatial, energy, and time resolution. We have obtained observational data for the brightest sources that can be used for the further calibration of the instrument. We have also determined the particle background of the Earth’s radiation belts and the constraints that are imposed by the enhanced background in the regions of the South Atlantic Anomaly and high latitudes on the observations of celestial sources. We have revealed a problem of the thermal regime of the detectors due to the off-design additional heat flow from the ISS surface that reduces the effective exposure time of observations. The technological goals of the experiment are successfully accomplished. An analysis of the operation of the equipment has shown the validity of the underlying software and hardware solutions. We present the possibility of extending the scientific part of the research with regard to direct X-ray observations of the Sun.