The Star Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS), a small space telescope, is currently at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for integration ahead of its launch. It cleared its pre-shipment review by NASA in the spring.
SPARCS will launch as part of a rideshare mission with two other NASA-funded SmallSats: BlackCAT from Pennsylvania State University and Pandora from Goddard Space Flight Center.
Launch Details
All three missions are scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The launch date is set for Sunday, January 11, at 6:19 a.m. Arizona time (5:19 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, 8:19 a.m. Eastern). SpaceX will provide a live webcast of the launch, beginning approximately 15 minutes before liftoff.
Scientific Objectives
SPARCS is designed to study flares and starspot activity on low-mass M- and K-type stars. These stars are prevalent in the Milky Way galaxy and are known to host a significant number of exoplanets, including many potentially habitable-zone terrestrial planets.
The telescope observes in ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths, which are absorbed by Earth's atmosphere, necessitating a space-based platform. By collecting high-energy photons from these stars, the mission aims to assist scientists in modeling how stellar flares might alter a planet's atmosphere. Such flares could be powerful enough to remove water or entirely destroy a planetary atmosphere.
According to ASU Professor Evgenya Shkolnik, the mission's principal investigator, SPARCS will be sensitive to rare and strong stellar flares. Understanding the strength of these flares will allow scientists to calculate the energy impact on potentially habitable planets and determine the actual consequences.
Development and Collaboration
Arizona State University (ASU) played a significant role in the spacecraft's construction. ASU designed and assembled the payload, which includes the telescope, integrated a camera built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and added a control computer. Professor Danny Jacobs, a co-investigator, noted ASU's involvement in integrating the camera and managing the system.
The team conducted months of assembly and testing on the payload before its integration with the spacecraft chassis, which was built by Blue Canyon Technologies. Fifteen undergraduate students contributed to SPARCS through the ASU Interplanetary Laboratory, gaining practical experience. Additionally, about a dozen more students will work at ASU’s Mission Operations Center post-launch. Two PhD students previously completed thesis work related to SPARCS and its test facilities.
Before departing Arizona, the CubeSat was secured in an electrostatic-safe bag and a protected case. Upon arrival at Vandenberg, engineers inspected the spacecraft for dust or shipping damage. The next stage involves integration with the Falcon 9 launch system.
Expected Outcomes
SPARCS is expected to provide data on important space science questions, potentially offering insights into whether exoplanets possess conditions suitable for life. The mission will also demonstrate new UV technologies developed at JPL, which could be utilized in future, larger space missions.
SPARCS was one of only two CubeSat missions selected by NASA’s Astrophysics Research and Analysis program in 2018. It will be the first mission specifically dedicated to long-duration ultraviolet observations of red dwarf stars, representing a collaboration between ASU and JPL. JPL developed the spacecraft’s ultraviolet camera, SPARCam, which features both far-UV and near-UV channels.