![CAD layout of the MANTIS spacecraft showing how the instrument unit and spacecraft unit are distinct, with a single 37-pin micro-D connector between the two. This is a significant reduction in complexity to prior CU-LASP CubeSats where the instrument and spacecraft by necessity are integrated. -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Optomechanical.png?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.IM] The MANTIS (Monitoring Activity of Nearby sTars with uv Imaging and Spectroscopy) observatory is a compact, multi-instrument small satellite designed for simultaneous extreme- (EUV; 100 – 560 Angstrom), far- (FUV; 1150-1800 Angstrom) and near-ultraviolet/visible (NUV/VIS; 2000-6400 Angstrom) spectroscopy of low-mass stars.
The EUV optical system consists of a first-of-its-kind Hettrick-Bowyer grazing incidence telescope contributed by the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) feeding an advanced e-beam lithographic etched variable line spacing grating developed at Pennsylvania State University (PSU).
The resulting low-resolution spectrum is imaged on an advanced microchannel plate detector with a potassium iodide (KI) photocathode for extremely low background noise, resulting in a limiting sensitivity for MANTIS that exceeds that of the last EUV-sensitive astrophysics point-source spectrograph, the Deep Survey/Spectrometer (DS/S) on EUVE. The FUV and NUV/Optical channels are fed by a compact rectangular telescope that focuses onto a series of point-source apertures.
The diverging beam is refocused and the FUV band dispersed by a holographic grating, then folded back onto the same detector as the EUV channel by a toroidal fold mirror. The zero-order light is picked off by a flat NUV grating, with the NUV/Optical spectrum recorded on an e2v CCD 42-10 detector.
The MANTIS spacecraft is a custom build that leverages the experience derived from prior University of Colorado – LASP SmallSats for avionics, power, communications, and mechanical structure. MANTIS is projected to be completed in 2027 with an anticipated 2028 launch as an ESPA-class payload on a rideshare opportunity.
Brian Fleming, Briana Indahl, Dmitry Vorobiev, Kristina Davis, Kevin France, David Wilson, Nicholas Kruczek, Timothy Hellickson, Emily Farr, Marta Civitani, Davide Sisana, Kotish Grover, Laura Proserpio, Stefano Basso, Vincenzo Cotroneo, Fabien Grise, Randall McEntaffer, Oswald Siegmund, Adrian Martin
Comments: 15 figures, 2 tables
Subjects: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM); Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP); Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
Cite as: arXiv:2608.06594 [astro-ph.IM] (or arXiv:2608.06594v1 [astro-ph.IM] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2608.06594
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Submission history
From: Brian Fleming
[v1] Thu, 6 Aug 2026 21:10:49 UTC (14,672 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.06594
Astrobiology,
