SPARCS
SPARCS (Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat) is a small space telescope in the CubeSat 6U format (30x20x10 cm at launch) whose objective is to monitor the flares and sunspot activity of low-mass stars of M and K spectral type. The mission selected by NASA is developed and managed by Arizona State University with the participation of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) which provides the telescope and its detectors.
Also recorded as Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat
SPARCS
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU · Catalog page · Full-res (JPEG · TIFF) · Full-res ([MP4]) · Full-res ([GIF]) · Public domain
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- United States.
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SPARCS (Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat) is a small space telescope in the CubeSat 6U format (30x20x10 cm at launch) whose objective is to monitor the flares and sunspot activity of low-mass stars of M and K spectral type. The mission selected by NASA is developed and managed by Arizona State University with the participation of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) which provides the telescope and its detectors.
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Key facts
Key facts
• Name — SPARCS • Mission Type — Space telescope (Astrophysics) • Operator — NASA • Cospar Id — 2026-004? • Satcat — 673?? • Launch Date — 11 January 2026, 13:44:50 UTC • Launch Rocket — Falcon 9 (booster 1097) • Launch Site — Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 4 • Launch Contractor — SpaceX • Orbit Reference — Geocentric • Orbit Regime — Dawn/dusk sun-synchronous orbit • Orbit Altitude — 500 to 600 km
Objectives
Objectives
The objective of the SPARCS mission is to study the ultraviolet emissions of around ten red dwarfs in order to model its impact. SPARCS is with ASTERIA one of the first space astronomy missions using the extremely miniaturized CubeSat format. This new category of satellite opens up prospects in the field of long-term observations of astronomical phenomena thanks to their reduced cost.
Timeline
Timeline
SPARCS launched on 11 January 2026 on a Falcon 9 rideshare mission "Twilight" together with NASA's Pandora and BlackCAT telescopes. On 12 March 2026, NASA published the spaceraft's first light images taken on 6 February 2026.
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United States.
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SPARCS is associated with United States.
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Notes from the source article
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- 1.David R. Ardila. Evgenya. Shkolnik. Paul. Scowen. oui. The Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS): A Mission to Understand the Impact of Stars in Exoplanets. Proceedings of the AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites, Instruments / Science. aout. 2018. 2-3.
- 2.SPARCS. EO Portal. Agence spatiale européenne.
- 3.April. Jewell. John. Hennessy. Todd. Jones. oui. Ultraviolet detectors for astrophysics missions: A case study with the Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS). 2018. 1-8. 2018arXiv180809954A.
- 4.SpaceX’s Twilight rideshare mission launches from Vandenberg. nasaspaceflight.com. Agence spatiale européenne. 11 janvier 2026.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 3
- David R. Ardila. Evgenya. Shkolnik. Paul. Scowen. oui. The Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS): A Mission to Understand the Impact of Stars in Exoplanets. Proceedings of the AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites, Instruments / Scienc. aout. 2018. 1-8.
- April. Jewell. John. Hennessy. Todd. Jones. oui. Ultraviolet detectors for astrophysics missions: A case study with the Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS). 2018. 1-8. 2018arXiv180809954A.
- Paul A. Scowen. Evgenya L. Shkolnik. David. Ardila. oui. Monitoring the high-Energy radiation environment of exoplanets around low-mass stars with SPARCS (Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat). 2018. 1-12.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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