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

It was launched as a rideshare on the Atlas V that launched Landsat 9 on September 27, 2021. 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.

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

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

See also

• Ultraviolet astronomy
• List of space telescopes

References

1. ^ Johnston, Scott Alan (25 September 2021). "A Tiny, Inexpensive Satellite Will be Studying the Atmospheres of hot Jupiters". Universe Today. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
2. Werner, Debra (12 December 2023). "Cubesat offers template for future astronomy missions". SpaceNews. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
3. "Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE)". LASP. University of Colorado Boulder. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
4. Fleming, Brian T.; et al. (2017). The Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE): a dedicated cubesat mission for the study of exoplanetary mass loss and magnetic fields. UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XX. Vol. 10397. Proceedings of SPIE. arXiv:1801.02673v1. doi:10.1117/12.2276138. ISBN 978-1-5106-1251-8.

External links

• CUTE homepage
  • Instrument Design Overview

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