"ULTRASAT: From neutron star mergers to planet habitability"
ULTRASAT is a space telescope with an unprecedentedly large field of view (204 square degrees) and UV (230-290nm) sensitivity, planned for launch into geostationary orbit in 2028. It will systematically explore a new region of wavelength-timescale parameter space with an extragalactic volume accessible for the discovery of transient sources comparable to that of the recently commissioned Vera Rubin Observatory. ULTRASAT will have a transformative impact on the study of explosive and variable sources, including gravitational wave sources, supernovae, variable and flare stars, active galactic nuclei, and tidal disruption events. It will enable addressing a wide range of open questions, including, e.g., those related to the origin of heavy (r-process) elements and the dynamics of neutron star mergers; the late evolution and explosion mechanisms of massive stars; the demographics and accretion physics of supermassive black holes at galaxy centers; and the impact of stellar activity on exoplanet habitability. I will review ULTRASAT’s science goals and potential, its unique technical properties, and the project’s structure and status.