Time-Resolved Photometry of the High-Energy Radiation of M Dwarfs with the Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS)

TL;DR

SPARCS is a CubeSat mission designed to monitor UV flares of M dwarf stars, providing crucial data on star-planet interactions and habitability impacts through innovative onboard image processing and autonomous exposure control.

Contribution

This paper introduces the SPARCS CubeSat, featuring a novel onboard dynamic exposure control system for UV stellar observations, advancing space-based stellar astrophysics capabilities.

Findings

Design of a 9-cm UV telescope with dual CCDs for simultaneous near-UV and far-UV monitoring

Development of an autonomous onboard image processing and exposure control system

SPARCS is currently in the development phase, with expected contributions to star-planet interaction studies.

Abstract

Know thy star, know thy planet,... especially in the ultraviolet (UV). Over the past decade, that motto has grown from mere wish to necessity in the M dwarf regime, given that the intense and highly variable UV radiation from these stars is suspected of strongly impacting their planets' habitability and atmospheric loss. This has led to the development of the Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS), a NASA-funded 6U CubeSat observatory fully devoted to the photometric monitoring of the UV flaring of M dwarfs hosting potentially habitable planets. The SPARCS science imaging system uses a 9-cm telescope that feeds two delta-doped UV-optimized CCDs through a dichroic beam splitter, enabling simultaneous monitoring of a target field in the near-UV and far-UV. A dedicated onboard payload processor manages science observations and performs near-real time image processing to sustain an autonomous dynamic exposure control algorithm needed to mitigate pixel saturation during flaring events. The mission is currently half-way into its development phase. We present an overview of the mission's science drivers and its expected contribution to our understanding of star-planet interactions. We also present the expected performance of the autonomous dynamic exposure control algorithm, a first-of-its-kind on board a space-based stellar astrophysics observatory.