SPRITE

SPRITE [CU Boulder]

SPRITE (Supernova Remnants and Proxies for ReIonization Testbed Experiment) is a 12U-CubeSat NASA-funded mission led by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at CU Boulder. designed and developed by students of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU-Boulder).

This nimble mission will support NASA astrophysics goals in two key ways:

• Advance the development and flight-testing of new ultraviolet detector technologies for future UV-Optical observatories and
• Spectroscopically survey both local supernova remnants and low-redshift star-forming galaxies in the observed wavelength range 1000-1750Å. SPRITE will serve as a flight testbed for these technologies, employing a robust calibration program as part of the principal science mission to advance the technology readiness level to 7+ and provide heritage for future Explorer-class and larger missions.

SPRITE will undertake a one year spectroscopic survey to measure the fraction of ionizing radiation escaping from low-redshift (0.16 < z < 0.5) galaxies and AGN, and to map emission from the interface regions between supernova remnants and star-forming regions in the Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds. The data from SPRITE will consist of deep far-UV spectra of 100+ galaxies, data cube maps of 50+ supernova remnants and star-forming regions in the Magellanic Clouds, and data cube maps of roughly 2 square degrees of the Cygnus and Vela supernova remnants in the Milky Way.

Originally designed to be a 6U Cubesat, it was to reuse the rectangular UV-telescope from the CUTE sister mission. Later during development, the design was upgraded to a 12U Cubesat form factor, allowing a larger aperture version of the UV telescope. The primary mirror is serving as the main structural support.

It was selected in 2021 by NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) to be launched as part of the ELaNa program.