Meet the BEXUS team: EVE CURiE

“Working on the EVE CURiE experiment through the REXUS/BEXUS programme has been one of the most exciting and valuable challenges of our studies. It’s a truly unique experience to develop a project from scratch—creating documentation, building hardware, and solving real engineering problems—all while being supported by experts in the field.” EVE CURiE Team 

EVE CURiE (ExtraVehicular Energy from Composite photovoltaics Undergoing Radiation Exposure) is a balloon experiment designed to evaluate novel hybrid photovoltaic-scintillator panels for use in space missions. The concept combines traditional solar panels with scintillators—materials that convert ionizing radiation, such as gamma rays or X-rays, into visible light. This additional light source may increase the amount of electricity generated by the photovoltaic cells. The goal is to improve energy harvesting in environments where visible sunlight is limited, such as trans-Jovian missions.

The experiment will fly aboard the BEXUS 36 stratospheric balloon and consists of two photovoltaic panels, both covered with a scintillator layer made from LSO crystals. These panels are shielded from external light to ensure that only the light generated by the scintillator is measured. One panel is tested under conditions similar to those in the previous CURiE experiment to allow comparison of results. The second panel operates under a different load. The system includes measurement boards to record voltage and current, Geiger-Müller tubes to detect ionizing radiation, and a gamma spectrometer to capture radiation spectra. All data will be collected onboard and used to evaluate how well the hybrid system performs in near-space conditions.

The project is led by students from various engineering and science backgrounds, primarily members of the Students’ Space Association (SKA PW) at Warsaw University of Technology. It builds on the team’s experience from the CURiE mission and includes 15 members working in areas such as electronics, software development, mechanical design, thermal engineering, and science. The project is supported by WUT’s Institute of Radioelectronics and Multimedia Technology and external institutions such as the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ). EVE CURiE not only explores an alternative energy system for future space missions but also provides interdisciplinary, hands-on experience for students.

EVE CURiE experiment in a nutshell