SPRITE (Supernova Remnants and Proxies for Reionization Testbed Experiment) is a 12U CubeSat mission funded by NASA and led by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado, Boulder. The payload will house the first sub-arcminute resolution Far-Ultraviolet (FUV) long-slit spectrograph with access to the Lyman UV (912 − 1216 Å), enabled by new enhanced lithium fluoride coatings and an ultra-low-noise photon-counting microchannel plate (MCP) detector. The scientific mission has two main components: constraining the escape fraction of ionizing Lyman-Continuum (LyC) radiation from low-redshift galaxies (0.14 ≤ z ≤ 0.4) and measuring feedback from nearby star forming regions and supernova remnants. Enabling the scientific mission are two distinct observing modes. For the faintest sources, we will operate the MCP detector in photon-counting mode. For brighter sources, we will operate the MCP in an accumulation / integration mode. For extended sources we will collate multiple pointings of the long slit, stepping across the field of view in a ‘push broom’ mapping to create 3D spectroscopic cubes. SPRITE will also take weekly calibration data to characterize the degradation of the coatings and detector. We present these observing modes along with the data acquisition and processing pipeline required to enable scientific analysis on the ground.
The Integral Field Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Experiment sounding rocket is the first far ultraviolet integral field spectrometer. It features an f /16, 0.49 m Cassegrain telescope and a 26-element image slicer feeding 26 holographic gratings, with spectra imaged by the largest cross-strip microchannel plate detector flown in space. The first launch of INFUSE occurred from White Sands Missile Range on October 29th, 2023, and demonstrated spectral multiplexing, successfully detecting ionized gas emission in the XA region of the Cygnus loop. The second launch of INFUSE is projected for spring 2025 to observe the star-forming galaxy NGC 2366 alongside companion NGC 2363. Housed within NGC 2366 is the Mrk 71 region, a prototype for studying highly ionized starburst regions, making NGC 2366 a local analog to Green Pea type galaxies. Several enhancements are planned for INFUSE before this second science flight, including adding an improved baffle to reduce contamination by second order light, improving grating alignment to reduce overlap between different spectrograms, and iriditing several surfaces to reduce scattered geocoronal Ly-α. An additional grating coated with xenon diflouride-enhanced lithium fluoride will also be added to flight qualify a new coating that may support ultraviolet capability on the Habitable Worlds Observatory. The second flight will also feature a ride along mission, the Spectroscopic Ultraviolet Multi-Object Observatory. We report on the results from the first launch as well as outline progress towards preparation for the second flight.
The SPRITE (The Supernova remnants, Proxies for Re-Ionization Testbed Experiment) 12U CubeSat mission, funded by NASA and led by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder, will house the first Far-UV (100-175 nm) long-slit spectrograph with access to the Lyman UV (λ ⪅ 115 nm) and sub-arcminute imaging resolution. SPRITE will map the high energy emission from diffuse gas allowing for the study of star formation feedback in a critical, but rarely studied, Far-UV regime on both stellar and galactic scales. This novel capability is enabled by new UV technologies incorporated into SPRITE’s design. These technologies include more robust, high broadband reflectivity mirror coatings and an ultra-low background photon counting microchannel plate detector. The SPRITE science mission includes weekly calibration observations to characterize the performance of these key UV technologies over time, increasing their technology readiness level (TRL) to 7+ and providing flight heritage essential for future UV flagship space missions such as the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). Currently, SPRITE is in the beginning stages of integration and testing of its flight assembly with a planned delivery date of fall of 2024. This proceeding will overview the current mission status, the schedule for testing and integration prior to launch, and the planned mission operations for SPRITE.
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