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.
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.
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