SPARCS (Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat) is an American ultraviolet space nano-telescope in the CubeSat 6U format (30x20x10 cm at launch, 12 kg) whose objective is to study the near and far

ultraviolet radiation Ultraviolet radiation, also known as simply UV, is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 10–400 nanometers, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10% of t ...

of galactic

red dwarf A red dwarf is the smallest kind of star on the main sequence. Red dwarfs are by far the most common type of fusing star in the Milky Way, at least in the neighborhood of the Sun. However, due to their low luminosity, individual red dwarfs are ...

s. The mission selected by

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

is developed and managed by

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

with the participation of the

Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) in La Cañada Flintridge, California, Crescenta Valley, United States. Founded in 1936 by Cali ...

(JPL) which provides the telescope and its detectors. The objective of the SPARCS mission is to study the ultraviolet emissions of around ten red dwarfs in order to model its impact. SPARCS is with

ASTERIA In Greek mythology, Asteria or Asterie ( ; ) is a daughter of the Titans Coeus (Polus) and Phoebe and the sister of Leto. According to Hesiod, by the Titan Perses she had a single child, a daughter named Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft. Othe ...

one of the first space astronomy missions using the extremely miniaturized

CubeSat A CubeSat is a class of small satellite with a form factor of cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than per unit,, url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5418c831e4b0fa4ecac1bacd/t/5f24997b6deea10cc52bb016/1596234122437/CDS+REV14+2020-07-3 ...

format. This new category of satellite opens up prospects in the field of long-term observations of astronomical phenomena thanks to their reduced cost. SPARCS plans to be ready to launch by Q1 2025.

References

CubeSats NASA satellites orbiting Earth Space telescopes orbiting Earth Ultraviolet telescopes University of Arizona Jet Propulsion Laboratory 2025 in spaceflight {{US-spacecraft-stub