NASA has begun searching for potentially habitable extraterrestrial systems and has already received its first images from the SPARCS telescope.

NASA launched the mini‑satellite SPARCS – the first “space weather” probe for exoplanets

What SPARCS is and why it’s needed
- SPARCS (Star‑Planet Activity Research CubeSat) is a tiny 6U CubeSat measuring 30 × 20 × 10 cm, launched in January.

- Its main mission is to monitor the activity of low‑mass stars (red dwarfs) and assess how their flares affect potentially habitable planets.

In our galaxy most of the 50 billion rocky exoplanets lie within the habitable zones of red dwarfs, but these stars often “blow up” with powerful ultraviolet (UV) flares that can strip a planet’s atmosphere. Therefore it is crucial to know the “space weather” there.

First results
- SPARCS has already taken its first UV images of target objects.

- Each patch of sky was imaged twice: in the near and far UV bands.

- The presence of a star in both bands allows its temperature to be estimated – hot objects appear in both, cool ones only in the near band.

These data confirmed that the telescope and detectors are working correctly in space, paving the way for full scientific observations.

What’s planned for the year
- The satellite will continuously monitor flares, sunspots, and magnetic activity around about 20 red dwarfs.

- Each target will be observed for 5–45 days, enabling a detailed activity profile to be built.

- The collected data will help determine how UV flares influence planetary atmospheres and whether they render them habitable.

Technological innovations
Component What it does UV filters in the sensor Built‑in filters, like those in modern smartphones, increase sensitivity and eliminate the need for external elements. Local data processing Onboard processor immediately analyzes images and adjusts the observation trajectory in real time.
These technologies make SPARCS one of the most efficient UV observers while occupying a space only slightly larger than a cereal box.

Expert view
> “Seeing the first ultraviolet images from SPARCS orbit is incredibly exciting. They show that the spacecraft and its detectors are working as expected after ground tests, and we’re ready to start scientific work,” says Evgenia Skolnik, lead researcher of the project and professor of astrophysics at Arizona State University.

What’s next
NASA plans to develop technologies proven on SPARCS for launching larger UV telescopes. This will expand knowledge of space weather not only in the Solar System but throughout the galaxy.

Thus, the mini‑satellite SPARCS has already proven its effectiveness and opened a new path to studying the impact of stellar activity on exoplanetary conditions.