Aspera

Aspera []

NASA's Aspera is a SmallSat mission designed to study galaxy evolution, and was selected as part of NASA's Astrophysics Pioneers Program. Through observations in ultraviolet light, it will examine hot gas in the space between galaxies, called the intergalactic medium, and the inflow and outflow of gas from galaxies.

The principal investigator is Carlos Vargas at the University of Arizona. The satellite will be built by the UTIAS Space Flight Laboratory (SFL).

Featuring a space telescope developed at the U of A's Steward Observatory, Aspera will study galaxy evolution through observation of ultraviolet light. Aspera will study the so-called circumgalactic medium, the diffuse matter surrounding galaxies, which may contribute to the birth of stars and planets.