Mauve: An Ultraviolet Trailblazer for Commercial Science Satellites Made in Europe
Yoga Barrathwaj Raman Mohan and the team at Blue Skies Space (UK and Italy) describe how the company is taking a new approach to delivering data from science satellites to the global science community.
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Over a hundred companies worldwide are currently building satellites using elements of the CubeSat format. Once experimental in their capabilities, CubeSats are now maturing and providing reliable operations.
As a result, they are expected to continue to grow in utility and play a significant role across all aspects of the space sector. As their capabilities have evolved, CubeSats have grown from one or multiple units (U) of 10x10x10 centimetre cubes to much larger and more capable satellites, with 6U, 12U and even 16U units coming into regular use, and the latter effectively becoming a small satellite.
This is now ushering in an era where these satellites can deliver the high-quality science data that is required for research, and Europe is leading the way. Blue Skies Space, a company based in the UK and Italy, is pioneering a new model to deliver high-quality space science data in accelerated timescales to the global scientific community.
Blue Skies Space was founded by researchers who believed it should be possible to transfer the benefits of the “NewSpace” commercial space sector development to the academic research community, with the aim of increasing and accelerating the provision of scientific datasets from space. The first satellite, Mauve, is an ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometry satellite launching in October 2025.
Mauve will study stars in our galaxy, providing a greater understanding of their powerful flares and the impact on the habitability of neighbouring exoplanets. This project was designed to demonstrate the potential of small satellites to support the astronomy community by delivering data that complements and enhances the outputs of science satellites built by space agencies.
Mauve will significantly increase the availability of UV spectra, providing a rare opportunity to revisit bright, active stars that have been inaccessible since observations were last delivered from the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) in 1996 and Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) in 2013. Mauve’s wide wavelength range and field of regard are ideally suited to offer time domain capabilities, enabling long observations of hundreds of stars, and will provide scientists with the data they need to better understand the physics of stellar activity.
The experience of the team and high-heritage approach to the design and component selection, will deliver a high-specification astronomy satellite within the short timeframes usually associated with commercial satellites. The satellite will operate in a low-Earth orbit, maximising opportunities for science observations along the ecliptic plane.
Mauve has been built in Europe with industrial partners from Hungary, the Netherlands, Italy and Latvia. C3S, a Hungarian manufacturer, is the spacecraft prime for Mauve. In the Netherlands, ISISPACE has developed the Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS), while Avantes has supplied the spectrometers. Italy’s Media Lario has produced the 13 cm telescope, and Latvia-based CeramOptec has supplied the optic fibres.
The design and construction of this satellite has been funded by a Horizon Europe Grant from the European Commission. Taking a public-private partnership approach, Blue Skies Space has secured private funding required to launch and operate the satellite for three years.
As of July 2025, the satellite has been integrated, and environmental testing has been completed. The satellite is on track to be shipped to the launch site in time for its launch this autumn – less than three years after the start of the project. This is not just a rapid timeline for a science satellite, but also a demonstration of European leadership in the space domain.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101082738.
