The Faculty of Science at Masaryk University is formally launching its formal collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) on the scientific support of the QUVIK satellite project, which has been approved by the Czech Republic and ESA as an ambitious national scientific mission. The mission aims to develop the Czech Republic’s first space telescope.
Following the signing of a contract with ESA, the Faculty of Science will lead the key scientific support activities for the planned Czech ultraviolet space observatory QUVIK. Under the QUVIK Mission Science Support (QUMASS) contract with ESA, the faculty will carry out these activities through 2032. The implementation of the mission and the industry-led spacecraft development will be overseen by the prime contractor, VZLU AEROSPACE.
“This collaboration marks a major milestone for Czech astrophysics and further strengthens the international standing of the Faculty of Science in astrophysics and space research. The signing of the contract means that the faculty has been officially appointed by the European Space Agency as the scientific lead of the QUVIK mission,” says Norbert Werner, the project scientist of the mission from the Department of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics at the Faculty of Science.
QUVIK will serve as an ultraviolet (UV) observatory, benefiting the wider astronomical community. Through the QUMASS activities, the Faculty of Science will lead the mission’s scientific strategy, helping to maximise its scientific impact in a global context.
The faculty’s primary responsibility within the project will be to ensure that the mission’s scientific objectives are clearly defined, internally consistent, and fully integrated into the overall design and implementation of the mission. This will also involve further refining the scientific goals and coordinating scientific activities throughout the mission development process.
“The mission has several major scientific objectives. It will investigate stellar explosions, including supernovae and neutron star mergers, which together are responsible for producing most of the chemical elements that make up the world around us. QUVIK will also explore whether planets orbiting red dwarf stars may be suitable for the emergence and evolution of life. Another exciting aspect of the mission will be its programme focused on studying supermassive black holes at the centres of galaxies,” Werner explains.
As part of the project, the Faculty of Science will also coordinate the QUVIK science team and foster close collaboration with international partners – particularly the ULTRASAT mission, an Israeli–American–German ultraviolet space telescope, as well as with other leading astronomical observatories.
“QUVIK will enable us to build expertise and gain invaluable experience. I believe it will become the first in a series of innovative space missions and cutting-edge instruments that will be led in the Czech Republic and at the Faculty of Science,” Werner adds.
Even now, QUVIK, much like the BrnoSat satellite, offers outstanding career opportunities for students and graduates of the Faculty of Science, not only in academia but also in industry. One example is Lýdia Štofanová, who joined the faculty as a postdoctoral researcher in astrophysics and now serves as the mission’s project manager at VZLU AEROSPACE.
According to PhD students Marianna Dafčíková, Monika Viskotová, and Michaela Ďuríšková from the Department of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, participating in a space mission already during doctoral studies represents an unique opportunity. All three are involved in preparing the mission and see it as excellent training for their future careers.
“I am pleased that the QUVIK mission, selected as an ambitious national project of the Czech Republic, not only strengthens cooperation between industry and academia, but also significantly enhances the international visibility of Czech science and space technologies through its compelling scientific programme,” concludes Václav Kobera, Director of the Czech Space Agency at the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic.
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