Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment Explained

Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE) is a small UV space telescope to study selected exoplanets.^[1]

It was launched as a rideshare on the Atlas V that launched Landsat 9 on September 27, 2021.^[1] Designed to operate for at least 8 months and study 10 exoplanets, CUTE remains operational as of December 2023, 27 months after launch. The spacecraft is expected to remain in orbit until 2027.^[2]

CUTE can measure near-UV (255-330 nm) and do low resolution spectroscopy of atmospheric tracers (eg. Fe II, Mg II, Mg I, OH).^[3]

The UV sensor is a 2048 x 515 pixel CCD array, with the spectrum lengthwise across the sensor.^[4] The 515 pixel width provides tolerance from sensor damage.

See also

• Ultraviolet astronomy

External links

• CUTE homepage
  • Instrument Design Overview

Notes and References

1. Web site: Johnston . Scott Alan . A Tiny, Inexpensive Satellite Will be Studying the Atmospheres of hot Jupiters . . 25 September 2021 . 13 December 2021.
2. Web site: Werner . Debra . Cubesat offers template for future astronomy missions . . 12 December 2023 . 13 December 2023.
3. Web site: Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE) . . . 13 December 2023.
4. Fleming . Brian T. . France . Kevin C. . Nell . Nicholas . Kohnert . Richard A. . Hoadley . Keri . Petit . Pascal M. . Vidotto . Aline A. . Beasley . Matthew . Fossati . Luca . Koskinen . Tommi T. . Desert . Jean-Michel . Pool . Kelsey . Egan . Arika . 1 . The Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE): a dedicated cubesat mission for the study of exoplanetary mass loss and magnetic fields . 10397 . UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XX . . 2017 . 978-1-5106-1251-8 . 10.1117/12.2276138 . 1801.02673v1.