Ground Calibration of the BlackCAT CubeSat X-Ray Coded Aperture Telescope

  • Joseph M. Colosimo
  • , Abraham D. Falcone
  • , Mitchell Wages
  • , Timothy Emeigh
  • , Lukas R. Stone
  • , David M. Palmer
  • , Zachary Catlin
  • , Kadri M. Nizam
  • , Md Arman Hossen
  • , Michael Betts
  • , William A. Bevidas
  • , Brynn Bortree
  • , Jacob C. Buffington
  • , David Nelson Burrows
  • , Thomas Forstmeier
  • , Derek B. Fox
  • , Killian M. Gremling
  • , Collin Reichard
  • , Ana C. Scigliani
  • , Anthony J. Tavana
  • Ian Thornton, Daniel Washington, Michael E. Zugger

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

BlackCAT is a NASA-funded 6U CubeSat mission planned to be launch-ready in 2025. BlackCAT will use its wide field-of-view and arcminute-scale localization to identify gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), gravitational-wave counterparts, and other high-energy transient events. The mission will send rapid alerts after detection of a transient event, enabling prompt follow-up from other ground- and space-based observatories. The science instrument is a coded aperture telescope, using a focal plane with four Speedster-EXD550 event-driven X-ray hybrid CMOS detectors (HCDs) and a gold-plated nickel coded mask to localize source positions. We describe methods for the calibration of the detectors and the assembled coded-aperture instrument. We also briefly discuss plans for in-flight commissioning and calibration.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationSpace Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024
Subtitle of host publicationUltraviolet to Gamma Ray
EditorsJan-Willem A. den Herder, Shouleh Nikzad, Kazuhiro Nakazawa
PublisherSPIE
ISBN (Electronic)9781510675094
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024
EventSpace Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray - Yokohama, Japan
Duration: Jun 16 2024Jun 21 2024

Publication series

NameProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume13093
ISSN (Print)0277-786X
ISSN (Electronic)1996-756X

Conference

ConferenceSpace Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray
Country/TerritoryJapan
CityYokohama
Period6/16/246/21/24

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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