par Patrick Côté, John Hutchings (NRC Herzberg Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Centre)
(Cassiopeia – été 2023)
The CASTOR project continues to gather momentum in preparation for flight approval and funding, as detailed below.
- The Phase 0 final review meeting was held at CSA HQ on May 15, where results from both the industrial and science contracts were presented. The mission is now well defined technically and scientifically, with all aspects of the fabrication and operations phases having been costed. The STDP contract, which is addressing key elements of the technical design, will conclude later this year.
- The CASTOR mission was presented to the NASA Astrophysics director and staff in May, emphasizing synergies with the US Decadal Priorities, and also the ongoing collaborations with JPL. JPL will meet with the directorate separately to discuss their partnership proposal.
- Following the successful proposal for a UK partnership in CASTOR, there was a visit to CSA of key UKSA personnel, to discuss details of the collaboration. Discussions are expected to continue throughout the summer.
- The Coalition for Astronomy has been briefed on the mission in two sessions. The Coalition is planning to move ahead with their formal support of CASTOR, and are preparing for a pre-budget submission later in the summer.
- A CASTOR lunch-hour townhall meeting was held at the CASCA annual conference, in Penticton, on May 14. Representatives from each of CASTOR’s eight science working groups briefly presented the many exciting science investigations developed during the Phase 0 study.
- A number of CASTOR science investigations were also presented at the S2D workshop in Montreal May 16-19. Collectively, these presentations demonstrated CASTOR’s many exciting synergies with other survey facilities, including Rubin-LSST, Euclid, Roman and SKA.
- Ongoing partnership discussions continue with groups in Spain, France, and South Korea, focussing on the UVMOS instrument and the launch, as well as other possibilities.
- The pathway to launch is being developed, including the CSA business case, a formal joint request to government by CSA and NRC, the detailed costing timeline, proposed significant international partnerships, and a 5.5 year sequence of fabrication contracts (Phases A-D). The mission is being developed for a minimum 5-year operation lifetime, with a desire to extend the science mission significantly beyond that.
- Several papers are in preparation describing the mission and its scientific programs based on the considerable work undertaken to date.
- Melissa Amenouche (PhD, Université Clermont Auvergne) has joined NRC-HAA as a postdoctoral fellow supporting CASTOR, and several graduate and undergraduate students are engaged in work directed by NRC leads. Phase 0 science support contracts to seven universities are ongoing, with significant engagement by students and postdocs. In July, Plaskett Fellow Tyrone Woods will take up a faculty position at the University of Manitoba.
- Preparations are under way for CASTOR detector testing at the UV Vacuum facility at the University of Calgary, supported by the electronic controller developed at NRC-HAA. Detector units developed and prepared by E2V and JPL will be available for this work in August.
For more information on the mission, see here.