ESCAPE: a small explorer mission to study the stellar drivers of exoplanet evolution
Abstract
The long-term stability of exoplanetary atmospheres depends critically on the extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) photon and high-energy particle fluxes from the host star, which are poorly constrained. To address this key gap in our understanding of atmospheric retention, we present the Extreme-ultraviolet Stellar Characterization for Atmospheric Physics and Evolution (ESCAPE) mission, a NASA Small Explorer concept proposed in 2026. ESCAPE employs extreme- and far-ultraviolet spectroscopy (80 - 1650 Ang) to provide the first comprehensive study of the stellar EUV history and stellar coronal mass ejection (CME) environments that control atmospheric mass-loss and determine the habitability of rocky exoplanets. This paper outlines both the primary science goals of the mission, the breadth of future general observer investigations, and a detailed design study of the mission's instrumentation. The ESCAPE instrument comprises a grazing incidence telescope that feeds multiple diffraction gratings and a photon-counting detector. We describe a demonstration of the Hettrick-Bowyer telescope, etched silicon diffraction gratings, the microchannel plate detector and housing, and gold and zirconium coatings. We present a STOP analysis that verifies ESCAPE's ability to meet its structural integrity, thermal stability, and optical performance requirements throughout the mission environment.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2608.00683,
title = {ESCAPE: a small explorer mission to study the stellar drivers of exoplanet evolution},
author = {Allison Youngblood and Kevin France and Brian Fleming and Tim H. Hellickson and Alan C. Hoskins and James Paul Mason and Dolon Bhattacharyya and Hannah Diamond-Lowe and Girish M. Duvvuri and Cynthia S. Froning and Vinay L. Kashyap and Tommi T. Koskinen and Yuta Notsu and Seth Redfield and David J. Wilson and Ute V. Amerstorfer and Tracy M. Becker and Francesco Borsa and David A. Brain and Luca Fossati and Briana Indahl and Meng Jin and Graham S. Kerr and Adam F. Kowalski and Rachel A. Osten and Tom L. Patton and Steven V. Penton and Ignazio Francesco Pillitteri and Kurt D. Retherford and Astrid M. Veronig and Aline A. Vidotto and Jennifer G. Winters and Adina D. Feinstein and Guillaume P. Gronoff and Jeffrey L. Linsky and R. O. Parke Loyd and Susan E. Mullally and Jorge Sanz-Forcada and Peter J. Wheatley and Amber V. Young},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2608.00683},
year = {2026}
}