BlackCAT

BlackCAT [Penn State]

BlackCAT is a 6U CubeSat developed by Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) for NASA. The spacecraft carries a wide-field soft X-ray telescope to monitor the sky in the 0.5–20 keV energy range. BlackCAT is designed to detect high-redshift gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), gravitational-wave counterparts, and other high-energy transient phenomena.

The primary mission objective is continuous monitoring of the soft X-ray sky to identify and localize transient events. BlackCAT will provide arcminute-scale positions for gamma-ray bursts, gravitational-wave electromagnetic counterparts, and other high-energy transients. It will also monitor galactic and extragalactic variable sources. Upon detection of burst events, the spacecraft will transmit rapid alerts to enable prompt multi-wavelength follow-up observations by ground- and space-based observatories.

The satellite platform was built by NanoAvionics. The payload consists of a coded-aperture X-ray telescope with an array of event-driven hybrid CMOS detectors (HCDs) in the focal plane. The detectors are arranged in a 2 × 2 configuration. The instrument employs a wide field of view of 40° × 70° (0.85 steradian partially coded). Two star trackers provide sub-arcminute attitude knowledge, enabling precise source localization.

The telescope has a point spread function with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 7 arcminutes. Source localization accuracy is approximately 1 arcminute (90% confidence). The observing strategy consists of 10-minute snapshot observations with stable pointing on a specific sky position, followed by spacecraft slews to achieve partial overlap between adjacent fields. The mission includes a 60-day on-orbit checkout and commissioning phase, followed by a nominal one-year science operations period.

BlackCAT was launched in early 2026.