Speaker
Description
The CHIPS team aims to develop, build and launch the first cryogenic infrared space telescope on a CubeSat, enabling cutting-edge scientific investigations that have been traditionally restricted to larger and substantially more expensive missions. Thanks to its near-infrared sensitivity, ultra-stable image quality in four simultaneously exposed filter bands, and rapid spacecraft slewing, CHIPS (Cubesat with HIgh Performance for Skyhopper) will be a facility to (1) identify and study Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) afterglows originating all the way back to the edge of the observable Universe, (2) to probe electromagnetic infrared counterparts of gravitational waves. CHIPS will also demonstrate science return in other areas of astrophysics, including the characterisation of Near-Earth Objects to investigate planetary system formation, the discovery of potentially habitable Earth-size exoplanets transiting in front of nearby cool stars, and pave the way to develop future constellations of distributed-aperture space telescopes. In this talk we will describe the status of the project - close to the Preliminary Requirements Review deadline - and analyse the technology innovations of the proposed mission.
