The Preliminary Mauve Science Programme: Science themes identified for the first year of operations

TL;DR

The Mauve satellite mission aims to perform UV-visible spectroscopic observations of stellar objects in our Galaxy, with defined science themes and observational strategies for its first operational year to fill data gaps in ultraviolet astronomy.

Contribution

This paper introduces the Mauve satellite's science themes and observational plans for its first year, a novel approach for low-cost UV-visible space observations.

Findings

10 science themes developed for year 1

Observation strategies include long monitoring and short snapshots

First-year science objectives outlined

Abstract

Mauve is a low-cost small satellite developed and operated by Blue Skies Space Ltd. The payload features a 13 cm telescope connected with a fibre that feeds into a UV-Vis spectrometer. The detector covers the 200-700 nm range in a single shot, obtaining low resolution spectra at R~20-65. Mauve has launched on 28th November 2025, reaching a 510 km Low-Earth Sun-synchronous orbit. The satellite will enable UV and visible observations of a variety of stellar objects in our Galaxy, filling the gaps in the ultraviolet space-based data. The researchers that have already joined the mission have defined the science themes, observational strategy and targets that Mauve will observe in the first year of operations. To date 10 science themes have been developed by the Mauve science collaboration for year 1, with observational strategies that include both long duration monitoring and short cadence snapshots. Here, we describe these themes and the science that Mauve will undertake in its first year of operations.