Measuring the stellar activity of nearby stars
Mauve is a five-year science mission conceived to study stars in our galaxy. The satellite data will enable the analysis of hundreds of stellar targets, providing a greater understanding of their powerful flares and the impact on the habitability of neighbouring exoplanets.
Analysis of Stars
UV Spectroscopy (200-700 nm)
Low-Earth Orbit
2025 Launch
A Comprehensive Study of Stars
Mauve is designed to observe flaring M-dwarfs through Ultraviolet and Visible spectroscopy, enabling large-scale stellar magnetism and time-domain studies through a number of surveys. Through long baseline and repeat observations, Mauve will provide insights into the time evolution of flares from 200 to 700 nm.
A Unique Science Opportunity
M-dwarfs are the most common type of stars in our galaxy and can emit large amounts of highly energetic radiation in the UV and X-rays and high-velocity particles during their active periods. M-dwarfs are currently of great interest due to the prevalence of small planets, including rocky ones, within their habitable zone. As the best candidates to host life, rocky planets may be impacted by the behaviour of their host stars, notably when it comes to questions of habitability, a high-interest topic for the astrophysics, planetary, and astrobiology communities.
Additional Science Cases
Mauve’s wide wavelength range will also enable the study of other types of astronomical objects such as F, G, and K stars and young stars surrounded with accretion disks. As the design of Mauve progresses, additional science cases will evolve and more details will become available.
The Satellite
Mauve is being designed in collaboration with leading satellite and instrument manufacturers C3S and ISISPACE. The high-heritage approach to the design and component selection will deliver a high-specification astronomy satellite within the short timeframes usually associated with commercial satellites.
The satellite will operate in a low-Earth orbit, maximising opportunities for science observations along the ecliptic plane.
| Primary Mirror | 15 cm class |
| Spectral Range | 200 – 700 nm |
| Spectral Resolution | 10 nm (max R=65) |
| Field of View | -46.4 to 31.8 deg |
| Satellite Weight | 25 kgs |
| Pointing Solution | High-performance Star Tracker |
Founding Members
Rice University
Vanderbilt University
Acknowledgement of EU Funding
The Mauve satellite is being developed in close collaboration with consortium partners in the UK and Europe. Blue Skies Space Ltd. and Blue Skies Space Italia S.R.L. are responsible for the overall project delivery and payload provision, C3S Electronikai Fejleszto KFT for the satellite platform, with support from ISIS – Innovative Solutions in Space BV for high-performance AOCS. The University of Kent and the Europlanet network will help liaise with the scientific community to help maximise the scientific return of Mauve.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101082738.