Article

NASA's SPARCS CubeSat, a small telescope designed for stellar observation, is set to launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This mission will focus on studying flares and starspot activity of M- and K-type stars, which are known to host the majority of exoplanets in the Milky Way, using ultraviolet data to understand the impact of stellar flares on planetary atmospheres. Developed with significant input from Arizona State University students, SPARCS represents the first effort to conduct long-duration ultraviolet observations of red dwarf stars.