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Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

Technology

SPRITE is optimized for high sensitivity long-slit imaging spectroscopy, featuring an ultra-low background photon-counting detector and a high throughput optical design. Despite a cubesat-sized telescope, SPRITE is projected to match or exceed the sensitivity of previous larger space missions that operated in the same wavelength regime.

This is largely accomplished by the use of advanced technologies currently baselined for the LUVOIR Surveyor. LUVOIR is a large mission concept submitted as one of four such studies to the 2020 Decadal Survey (link to LUVOIR page), and the only with baselined sensitivity to UV wavelengths less than 115 nm. To enable the huge gains LUVOIR promises over existing observatories like Hubble, new broadband mirror coatings and new UV detectors are required. We also require new and innovative contamination and calibration procedures unique to our new technology and bandpass to ensure the instrument works as planned.