Mauve is the first science mission of the UK-based company Blue Skies Space Ltd. Its goal is to uncover the secrets of stellar flares, magnetic fields, and the formation of young planetary systems, opening new perspectives on the study of planetary habitability. The satellite launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket as part of the Transporter-15 rideshare mission. Scientific operations are scheduled to begin in early 2026, once the spacecraft is commissioned in orbit.
Weighing just 18.6 kilograms, Mauve was developed over three years by a European industrial consortium. The Hungarian company C3S LLC provided the satellite platform and carried out the integration and testing of the payload. As part of its scientific program, Mauve will perform spectrophotometric measurements in the ultraviolet and visible range (200–700 nm). Its primary targets include stellar flares, binary stars, hot and young stars, and young exoplanetary systems. Mauve’s observations will help researchers understand how stellar activity affects the atmospheres and habitability of planets orbiting these stars.
“Mauve will open a new window on stellar activity that has previously been largely hidden from view,” said Professor Giovanna Tinetti, Chief Scientist and Co-founder of Blue Skies Space. “By observing stars in ultraviolet light, wavelengths that can’t be studied from Earth, we’ll gain a much deeper understanding of how stars behave and how their flares may impact the environment of orbiting exoplanets. Traditional ground-based telescopes just can’t capture this information, so a satellite like Mauve is crucial for furthering our knowledge.”
“Our vision is to make space science data as accessible as possible,” said Dr Marcell Tessenyi, CEO and co-founder of Blue Skies Space. “Mauve will undergo commissioning before delivering datasets to scientists in early 2026 and serve as a springboard to launch a fleet of satellites addressing the global demand for space science data.”
International research teams will analyse Mauve’s data, including groups from the United States, Japan, Ireland, and Italy. Hungarian researchers from the HUN-REN CSFK’s STARK group are also partners in the consortium. Supported by Hungary’s National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH) Élvonal Program, the STARK group studies the activity of M-dwarf stars and the effects of their associated flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
M-dwarfs are the most common stars in the Milky Way, and most known Earth-like exoplanets orbit such stars. However, their frequent outbursts have the potential to erode or even destroy planetary atmospheres over long timescales. The research aims to identify which stars can truly offer habitable environments for their planets. This is closely connected to Mauve’s main scientific objective: improving our understanding of stellar activity—an essential foundation for future exoplanet missions (such as ESA’s PLATO and Ariel) and for models of planetary habitability.
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