NASA's SPARCS CubeSat to Launch from Vandenberg for Stellar Observation
The Star Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS), a small telescope the size of a cereal box, is at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for launch preparations on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This NASA-funded mission aims to study flares and starspot activity of M- and K-type stars, which host most of the exoplanets in the Milky Way.
SPARCS will collect ultraviolet wavelengths data to model how stellar flares can affect planetary atmospheres. ASU played a key role in developing the spacecraft, with contributions from students gaining hands-on experience. SPARCS, selected by NASA's Astrophysics Research and Analysis program, will be the first mission focused on long-duration ultraviolet observations of red dwarf stars, collaborating with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which built the SPARCam camera.
