Facilities, testbeds, and procedures for characterizing the SPRITE Far-UV CubeSat

Daniel Szewczyk; Maitland Bowen; Briana Indahl; Dmitry Vorobiev; Abigail Durell; Luis Rodríguez-de Marcos; John Hennessy; Dana Chafetz; Brian Fleming

doi:10.1117/12.2677112

5 October 2023 Facilities, testbeds, and procedures for characterizing the SPRITE Far-UV CubeSat

Daniel Szewczyk, Maitland Bowen, Briana Indahl, Dmitry Vorobiev, Abigail Durell, Luis Rodríguez-de Marcos, John Hennessy, Dana Chafetz, Brian Fleming

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12678, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XXIII; 1267809 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2677112
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2023, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

We present the optical design and testing of SPRITE, a 12U CubeSat being developed by the Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP). SPRITE is designed to observe supernova remnants and low redshift galaxies in the far ultraviolet range (1000-1750 Å). SPRITE consists of an 18 x 16 cm parabolic primary mirror, a hyperbolic secondary mirror, an aberration-correcting concave holographic grating, a cylindrical fold mirror, and an advanced borosilicate glass Microchannel Plate (MCP) detector. The grating, secondary mirror (M2) and cylindrical fold mirror (M3) are coated with enhanced reflectivity lithium fluoride (LiF) protected aluminum, or “eLif”, capped with a thin overcoat of MgF₂ for protection of the hygroscopic LiF from water vapor. SPRITE is serving as an orbital testbed for protected eLiF and boroscilicate glass MCP detectors ahead of potential adoption on a future NASA flagship mission, like the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). This paper details the actions taken to protect the optics, as well as the MCP, as they are sensitive to molecular contamination and water vapor. We also detail the experimental setup for monitoring the reflectance of witness samples throughout the SPRITE integration and testing phase. Due to the unique nature of SPRITE, custom hardware for storage and optical testing was required to provide sufficient protection for the sensitive optics and detector. These facilities are essential for proving these new technologies for future flight programs, as well as ensuring SPRITE meets the science requirements. The coatings used on SPRITE’s optics are critical for the development of future large astronomy missions with high throughput down to 1000 angstroms.

Conference Presentation

(2023) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

Daniel Szewczyk, Maitland Bowen, Briana Indahl, Dmitry Vorobiev, Abigail Durell, Luis Rodríguez-de Marcos, John Hennessy, Dana Chafetz, and Brian Fleming "Facilities, testbeds, and procedures for characterizing the SPRITE Far-UV CubeSat", Proc. SPIE 12678, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XXIII, 1267809 (5 October 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2677112

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