Astronomy:Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment

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Short description: UV space telescope launched in 2021

Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE) is a small UV space telescope to study selected exoplanets.[1]

It was launched as a rideshare on the Atlas V that launched Landsat 9 on September 27, 2021.[1] Designed to operate for at least 8 months and study 10 exoplanets, CUTE remains operational as of December 2023, 27 months after launch. The spacecraft is expected to remain in orbit until 2027.[2]

CUTE can measure near-UV (255-330 nm) and do low resolution spectroscopy of atmospheric tracers (eg. Fe II, Mg II, Mg I, OH).[3]

The UV sensor is a 2048 x 515 pixel CCD array, with the spectrum lengthwise across the sensor.[4] The 515 pixel width provides tolerance from sensor damage.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Johnston, Scott Alan (25 September 2021). "A Tiny, Inexpensive Satellite Will be Studying the Atmospheres of hot Jupiters". Universe Today. https://www.universetoday.com/152713/a-tiny-inexpensive-satellite-will-be-studying-the-atmospheres-of-hot-jupiters/. 
  2. ↑ Werner, Debra (12 December 2023). "Cubesat offers template for future astronomy missions". SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/cubesat-offers-template-for-future-astronomy-missions/. 
  3. ↑ "Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE)". LASP. University of Colorado Boulder. https://lasp.colorado.edu/cute/. 
  4. ↑ Fleming, Brian T.; France, Kevin C.; Nell, Nicholas; Kohnert, Richard A.; Hoadley, Keri; Petit, Pascal M.; Vidotto, Aline A.; Beasley, Matthew et al. (2017). "The Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE): a dedicated cubesat mission for the study of exoplanetary mass loss and magnetic fields". UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XX. 10397. Proceedings of SPIE. doi:10.1117/12.2276138. ISBN 978-1-5106-1251-8.