The Star-planet activity research CubeSat (SPARCS) is a 6U CubeSat mission focused on dual channel, SPARCS farUV (153-171 nm) and near-UV (260-300 nm), photometric monitoring of nearby M-stars. These data will advance our understanding of the typical day-to-day UV environments around M stars and how these conditions evolve over the stars’ multibillion-year lifespans; critical factors that constrain the potential habitability of planets orbiting M stars, informing the search for life in the galaxy. This paper lays out the detailed plan for the SPARCS science payload assembly, integration, and testing (AIT), including the optical calibration and performance measurement methods for the science telescope, thermal vacuum bakeouts for part cleaning, ongoing contamination monitoring methods, and spectral performance measurements of the assembled payload camera. We will provide updates on AIT proceedings at ASU and the SPARCS thermal vacuum chamber (TVAC) test facility built for UV CubeSat missions at Arizona State University’s School of Earth and space exploration.
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