Alessandro Turchi , ASI
Solar flares, together with coronal mass ejections, can pose a serious risk to the functioning of both orbiting and ground-based electronic and electrical devices. The CUSP (CUbesat Solar Polarimeter) mission will measure the linear polarization of X-rays generated by solar flares using a Compton diffusion polarimeter in a 500-600 km Sun-synchronous orbit. Such observations will allow for the direct study of charged particle acceleration mechanisms that are correlated to magnetic reconnection phenomena on the Sun. The mission, with its CubeSat orbiting the Earth, will thus contribute both to the study of heliophysics and to complementing Space Weather networks for the prediction of these violent solar phenomena. The presentation will provide an overview on the ongoing phase-B activities.