SPARCS CubeSat ‘First Light’ Images
This pair of images shows stars observed simultaneously by the Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS) space telescope in the near ultraviolet, left, and in the far ultraviolet, right. These observations were recorded on February 6, 2026, three weeks after the launch of the cube satellite, or CubeSat, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 on January 11. The fact that one star is seen in the far-UV while several are observed in the near-UV provides insight into the temperatures of these stars, with the one visible in both colors being the warmest.
About the size of a large cereal box, SPARCS will monitor flares and sunspot activity on low-mass stars, objects that make up only 30 to 50 percent of the Sun’s mass. These stars are among the most common in the Milky Way and host the majority of the galaxy’s approximately 50 billion habitable terrestrial planets, which are rocky worlds close enough to their stars for temperatures that could allow liquid water and potentially support life.
The SPARCS spacecraft is the first dedicated to continuous and simultaneous monitoring of far-ultraviolet and near-ultraviolet radiation from low-mass stars. During its one-year mission, SPARCS will target approximately 20 low-mass stars and observe them for durations of five to 45 days.
The filters for the spacecraft’s camera, SPARCam, were manufactured using a technique that improves sensitivity and performance by allowing them to be deposited directly onto specially developed UV-sensitive “delta doped” detectors. The detector-integrated filters approach eliminated the need for a separate filter element, resulting in one of the most sensitive systems of its kind ever flown in space.
The filters, detectors and associated electronics were designed, manufactured and tested at the Microdevices Laboratory (MDL) at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. MDL inventors leverage physics, chemistry, and materials science, including quantum, to deliver never-before-seen devices and capabilities to our country.
Funded by NASA and led by Arizona State University in Tempe, SPARCS is managed as part of the agency’s Astrophysics Research and Analysis program. The agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) has selected SPARCS in 2022 for launch into orbit. The initiative is a low-cost avenue for conducting scientific research and technology demonstrations in space, allowing students, teachers and professors to gain hands-on experience in the design, development and construction of flight hardware.
Blue Canyon Technologies manufactured the spacecraft bus.
