Paper 14145-50
Paper 14145-50
VERTECS: development status and system verification of flight model
7 July 2026 • 16:30 - 16:50 CEST | Room B4-M3
Abstract
The VERTECS mission aims to measure the visible Extragalactic Background Light (EBL), whose near-infrared brightness exceeds the integrated galaxy light by several factors, suggesting contributions from early-universe sources and intrahalo stars. VERTECS employs a 6° × 6° wide-field telescope with four-band photometry from 400–800 nm, a low-dark-current CMOS sensor, and a 3U bus equipped with the XACT-15 attitude control system, deployable solar panels, and a high-speed X-band transmitter. Developed under the JAXA-SMASH program since 2022, we are conducting its flight-model assembly and ground verification tests in 2025. End-to-end communication tests, long-duration tests, thermal-vacuum cycles, and initial-phase contingency tests confirmed system functionality, with several issues identified and corrected during verification. VERTECS is scheduled for launch on H3 Launch Vehicle No. 6, with all preparations for flight and operations planned for completion by March 2025.
Presenter
Shunsuke Nakagawa
Kyushu Institute of Technology (Japan)
Shunsuke Nakagawa is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Space Systems Engineering course at Kyushu Institute of Technology. He conducts research on airglow and upper-atmospheric optical phenomena. He has been involved in the VERTECS CubeSat project since its inception, initially leading the development of the electrical power system and later serving as a systems engineer overseeing the integrated system tests.