QUVIK (Quick Ultra-VIolet Kilonova surveyor) spacecraft and payload system design overview

We present a spacecraft and payload system design of a UV space telescope on a ∼130kg micro-satellite mission with a moderately fast repointing capability and near real-time alert communication. The mission, called Quick Ultra-Violet Kilonova surveyor – QUVIK, shall measure the brightness evolution of kilonovae, resulting from mergers of neutron stars simultaneously in the near-UV and far-UV band and thus it shall distinguish between different explosion scenarios. As a secondary objective the mission will also provide unique follow-up capabilities for other transients both in the near- and far-UV bands. The mission was selected for implementation by an ambitious Czech national mission program to promote the development of Czech science and space technology.