By John Hutchings, Patrick Côté (NRC-Herzberg)
CASTOR is ready — scientifically, technically and programmatically — for a formal request for approval. Lobbying by the Coalition (CASCA, ACURA, and Industry) remains underway, with meeting planned for the upcoming parliamentary session. Support from key Universities and a letter from the principal Canadian contractor companies will be part of the push. The immediate, urgent need is for a mission-defining Phase A study that would include formal agreements with international partners who await this pivotal next step.
An NRC Small teams program is now underway. This three-year project will prototype the UVMOS instrument and raise the technology readiness level of several critical elements. This program has technology development implications for both CASTOR and NASA’s upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory. Partners include the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille, the University of Colorado (Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics), and the University of Calgary.
A meeting of Canadian and international CASTOR partners will be held in Victoria in November. This three-day meeting will focus on a wide range of technology development programs, including optics, coatings detectors, electronics, and data flows.
A delegation from the UK Space Agency is planning a second Canadian visit to discuss collaborations on CASTOR. This time, representative from NRC will be involved.
The CASTOR mission was presented in several talks and posters at the SPIE and COSPAR meetings. During the COSPAR meeting, which was held in Busan, South Korea, informal partnership ideas were discussed with KASA/KASI representatives. The newly formed Korean AeroSpace Administration (KASA) is in the process of defining its interests and priorities.
Detector testing progress continues at University of Calgary UV facility and HAA, in collaboration with Teledyne, UK Open University, and JPL, and CSA. Results will be coming in over the next few months that will quantify the QE doping and noise for the flight arrays. Radiation tests will follow.
Co-op students continue work on data simulation and science planning tools for CASTOR. Discussions are under way to develop optical ground-stations in Manitoba and northern Canada (Inuvik).
CASCA has recently announced plans for the 2025 Mid-Term Review. With approval now secured for both the TMT and SKA projects, the status of space astronomy in Canada, in general, and CASTOR in particular, will likely be a major focus of this important review.
For more information on the mission, see https://www.castormission.org