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| Starshade | |
|---|---|
| Name | Starshade |
| Caption | Artist's concept of a separate occulter spacecraft deployed near a space telescope |
| Mission type | Space telescope occulter |
| Operator | Various space agencies and research institutions |
| Status | Concept / technology development |
| Launch mass | Varies by design |
| Dimensions | Tens of metres in diameter |
| Power | Solar arrays (typically) |
| Propulsion | Electric or chemical for repositioning |
| Orbit | Sun–Earth Lagrange points or Earth trailing/leading orbits |
Starshade
A Starshade is a large, precisely shaped occulter spacecraft concept designed to block starlight to enable direct imaging and spectroscopy of exoplanets. It is proposed to fly tens of thousands of kilometres from a dedicated space telescope to create a deep shadow, enabling high-contrast observations of targets selected by mission teams. Development of Starshade concepts involves collaborations among space agencies, research labs, industrial partners, and university groups pursuing optical engineering, formation flying, and exoplanet science.
The Starshade concept emerged from theoretical work in diffraction optics and mission studies pursued by organizations such as NASA, European Space Agency, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center, and university groups including Princeton University and University of Colorado Boulder. Early analytical foundations link to research by teams at NASA Ames Research Center and STScI alongside contributions from international partners like CNES and ESA/ESTEC. Design studies have been funded through programs such as NASA Astrophysics Division strategic initiatives, Exoplanet Exploration Program, and technology programs at ARPA-E and JPL's TDEM. Work draws on optical theory developed by groups at Caltech, MIT, University of Arizona, and Carnegie Institution for Science.
A Starshade combines petal-shaped occulter geometry with precision manufacturing to suppress diffracted light from a host star for observatories like concepts associated with Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope and proposed missions linked to Hubble Space Telescope successors. Key technologies include large deployable structures analogous to those used on James Webb Space Telescope sunshades, low-scatter coatings informed by work at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and metrology systems similar to those used by Northrop Grumman and Boeing for deployable spacecraft. Optical modeling leverages techniques developed at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, and computational work from Sandia National Laboratories. Manufacturing partnerships have involved firms such as Ball Aerospace and Maxar Technologies collaborating with academic testbeds at Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley.
Mission concepts pairing a Starshade with space telescopes have been proposed for projects tied to LUVOIR-scale concepts, designs associated with HabEx, and augmentations for observatories in Sun–Earth L2 orbit like proposed successors to Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Studies and proposals have been submitted to programs such as NASA Astrophysics Probe competitions and technology solicitations through NASA's Strategic Astrophysics Technology program. International mission studies have been explored by teams at ESA, JAXA, CSA, and research groups at Australian National University. Industry collaborations include concept work with Lockheed Martin and Airbus Defence and Space to assess integration with potential flagship telescopes or smaller probe-class platforms.
Starshade-enabled missions aim to directly image exoplanets including targets prioritized by Kepler and follow-up targets from TESS and Gaia. Science drivers include characterizing atmospheres through spectroscopy to detect signatures associated with habitable-zone planets identified by Habitable Exoplanet Catalog studies and population statistics refined by Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite discoveries. Spectroscopic goals align with capabilities pursued by instruments similar to those on Hubble Space Telescope and future instruments envisaged for LUVOIR and HabEx class observatories. Science teams often include members from Carnegie Institution for Science, SETI Institute, NASA Ames Research Center, and university consortia working with observatory scientists from Space Telescope Science Institute.
Key engineering challenges include manufacturing petal edges with sub-millimetre tolerances, acquiring low-reflectivity surfaces developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and validating deployment mechanisms reminiscent of those tested by NASA Glenn Research Center. Development testbeds exist at JPL and university labs at University of Colorado Boulder and Princeton University where optical validation leverages facilities used for flight hardware at Ames Research Center. Propulsion and station-keeping strategies draw on innovations from Aerojet Rocketdyne and electric propulsion work at NASA Glenn Research Center. Ground test campaigns have engaged teams from Northrop Grumman and Ball Aerospace, with technology maturation through NASA Technology Readiness Level assessments and reviews by panels that include representatives from National Academies committees.
Operational concepts require precision formation flying and metrology, using relative navigation techniques inspired by missions such as GRACE and hardware heritage from LISA Pathfinder and Chandra X-ray Observatory operations. Relative position control between the Starshade and telescope would use guidance systems developed by JPL, navigation algorithms from MIT Draper Laboratory traditions, and communications planning informed by deep-space operations at DSN. Mission operation scenarios consider deployment to Sun–Earth L2, Earth-trailing orbits like those used by Spitzer Space Telescope, and target acquisition sequences coordinated with science teams at Space Telescope Science Institute and mission control centers at Goddard Space Flight Center.
Starshades are often compared with internal coronagraphs developed for telescopes such as work at Northrop Grumman and instrument concepts used on WFIRST/Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope testbeds. Coronagraph approaches rely on high-precision wavefront control techniques pioneered at JPL and Princeton University, while Starshades trade internal wavefront complexity for external occulter geometry. Comparative studies have been led by panels convened by NASA and the National Academies and include technology assessments involving teams from STScI, MIT, Caltech, and industrial partners like Ball Aerospace and Lockheed Martin.