BHEX Mini
Direct Imaging Black Holes from LEO
Ref Bari, Brown University
Ref Bari
Physics MS, Brown
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Analysis of Binary Black Holes via Neural Networks (under Prof. Brendan Keith, Brown)
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Funded under NSF Neural DynAMO Grant
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“Nitrogen Outgassing from Water Worlds” (R.Bari et. al., under review, The Astrophysical Journal 2025)
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“Reflection from Relativistic Light Sails” (R. Bari, The Astronomical Journal 2024)
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“Simulating the Action Principle in Optics” (R. Bari, The Physics Teacher 2023)
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Spin Qubit CNN Researcher at the Meriles Condensed Matter Lab
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“A Path Integral Derivation of Hawking Radiation” (MS Thesis)
Binary Black Holes
Physics MS, Brown
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Analysis of Binary Black Holes via Neural Networks (Prof. Brendan Keith, Brown)
Brown Space Engineering
Spaceflight Heritage
SBUDNIC
PVDX
- 1U CubeSat (1.3 kg, 10x10x10 cm)
- Payload: High-Power LED Array + LiFePO4 Batteries (<6 kg)
- ADCS: Passive Magnetic Atitude Control System
- Power Generated: 1.3W (Top+Bottom Panels) & .7W (Side)
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Total Cost: $5000
- All components built in-house at Brown Engineering Lab
EQUiSat
- 3U CubeSat (3 kg, 30x10x10 cm)
- Payload: Ham Radio Transceiver, 2 Cameras, Arduino Nano
- ADCS: Spring-Loaded + Aerodynamic Drag Sail
- Power Generated: 1.3W (Top+Bottom Panels) & .7W (Side)
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Total Cost: $10,000
- 3D-Printed Components at BDW
- 3U CubeSat (~6 kg, 30x10x10 cm)
- Payload: Perovskite Solar Panels + Robotic Arm + Digital Display
- ADCS: Magnetorquers
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Total Cost: ~$30,000
- 3D-Printed Components at BDW
- CUBECOM S-Band Transceiver ($10,000)
Spaceflight Heritage
SBUDNIC
PVDX
EQUiSat
BHEX Mini
Spaceflight Heritage
Black Hole Explorer Mini
BHEX Mini
Capturing the first video of a black hole
Black Hole (M87)
Event Horizon Telescope
(2019)
Event Horizon Telescope (EHT)
Black Holes: An Intro
(2031)
Black Hole Explorer Satellite (BHEX) Mission
Spaceflight Heritage
Black Hole Explorer Mini
BHEX Mini
Capturing the first video of a black hole
20000\text{ km}
400\text{ km}
\text{BHEX}
\text{BHEX Mini}
"Metrics and Motivations for Earth–Space VLBI: Time-resolving Sgr A* with the Event Horizon Telescope" Palumbo et. al. ApJ 2019
400\text{ km}
\text{Pathfinder}
20000\text{ km}
400\text{ km}
\text{BHEX}
\text{Pathfinder}
Pathfinder + EHT
Pathfinder + BHEX + EHT
BHEX Mini
\textbf{Primary Science Objectives: }\text{Capture the first video of a black hole}
\text{Conduct 86 GHz targeted survey from LEO}
\text{Enable time-resolved multi-messenger astronomy}
10 \text{ GHz}
47 \text{ GHz}
220 \text{ GHz}
1100 \text{ GHz}
\text{Time-Resolve Sgr A* Accretion Disk}
BHEX Mini
BHEX Mini SWaPC
Size
Weight
Power
Power
Cost
\sim 2.5m
\sim 25-50kg
22 kg
300W
400mW @15^{\circ}K
\$10 \text{mln}
754 mm \times \\ 146 mm \times \\ 300 mm
\$2-5 \text{Mln}
\$4-11 \text{Mln}
10-20W
\text{(deployment)}
5-7 kg
\sim 10W
\sim \$ 1 \text{mln}
\sim0.02m^3
\sim 1 kg
\sim 3W
\sim \$1\text{mln}^*
60 mm\times \\60mm \times \\32 mm
1U (100 mm\times \\100 mm \times \\100 mm)
1.2 kg
1.2 kg
100W\\\text{generated}
\sim \$100\text{k}
3U (300 mm\times \\300 mm \times \\300 mm)
100W
3 kg
\sim \$1\text{mln}^*
\sim 4W
\sim 1 kg^*
12 mm \times \\12 mm
\sim \$1\text{mln}^*
\sim85.3 kg
\sim 437 W
\sim \$25\text{ million}
N/A
Antenna
Primary Receiver
Cryocooler
Solar Panels
Atomic Clock (Ultra-Stable Oscillator)
Digital Backend
Optical Terminal
Size
Weight
Power
Cost
\sim 2.5m
\sim 25-50kg
22 kg
300W
400mW @15^{\circ}K
\$10 \text{mln}
754 mm \times \\ 146 mm \times \\ 300 mm
\$2-5 \text{Mln}
\$4-11 \text{Mln}
10-20W
\text{(deployment)}
5-7 kg
\sim 10W
\sim \$ 1 \text{mln}
\sim0.02m^3
\sim 1 kg
\sim 3W
\sim \$1\text{mln}^*
60 mm\times \\60mm \times \\32 mm
1U (100 mm\times \\100 mm \times \\100 mm)
1.2 kg
100W\\\text{generated}
\sim \$100\text{k}
3U (300 mm\times \\300 mm \times \\300 mm)
100W
3 kg
\sim \$1\text{mln}^*
\sim 4W
\sim 1 kg^*
12 mm \times \\12 mm
\sim \$1\text{mln}^*
\sim85.3 kg
\sim 437 W
N/A
Antenna
Primary Receiver
Cryocooler
Solar Panels
Atomic Clock
(Ultra-Stable Oscillator)
Digital Backend
Optical Terminal
Pathfinder
\sim \$ 25 \text{mln}
Mission Parameters
T^*_{sys} = [T_{rx}+\eta_{ff}T_{b, inc}](1+r)\sim 30K
T_{b,inc}=\frac{F_{tot}A_{eff}}{2k}\sim 3\cdot 10^{-3} K
T_{rx}=15K, \eta_{ff}=0.95, \eta_{A}=0.85, r= 1, F_{tot}\sim 2\pm 0.2 Jy
SEFD
USO
Data
\theta_{\text{Res}}
Orbit
\sigma_{\text{Noise}}
\tau_{\text{max}}
\Delta \phi = 4.3\cdot 10^{-3} \text{ rad } (\text{LISA USO})
L\sim 1\% \text{ (JUICE USO)}
\operatorname{Rate}(\mathrm{bps})\sim 8,750 \text{ GB }(T_{obs}=.5T_{orb}) \text{ over 1 orbit}
\theta_{\text{BHEX Mini -BHEX}}\sim 35 \mu as
\theta_{\text{BHEX Mini - EHT}} \sim 1800 \mu as
\text{Circular Highly-Inclined Polar LEO}, r\sim 400 km, e \sim 0, i>78^{\circ}
\tau_{\text{Coherence, BHEX-Mini}}\lessapprox 2 \text{ min} \sim 120 s
\text{SEFD}_{\text{BHEX-Mini}}=\frac{2kT^*_{sys}}{\eta_A A}\sim 32,000 \text{ Jy}
\sigma_{\text{BHEX Mini - BHEX}}\sim 12.65 \text{ mJy}
\sigma_{\text{BHEX Mini - EHT}}\sim 40 \text{ mJy}
BHEX Mini
Atmospheric Limitations for High-frequency Ground-based Very Long Baseline Interferometry (EHT Collaboration 2019, ApJ)
BHEX Mini
BHEX Mini
HAY
GBT
Science
Leadership
Engineering
Leadership
BHEX Mini
Team
Advisors
Inner
circle
BHEX Mini
Science
Leadership
Inner
circle
BHEX Mini
Engineering
Leadership
Advisors
BHEX Mini
Team
Engineering
Leadership
Inner
circle
BHEX Mini
Science
Leadership
Advisors
BHEX Mini
Team
Advisors
Inner
circle
BHEX Mini
Science
Leadership
Engineering
Leadership
BHEX Mini
Team
Team
BHEX Mini
Inner
circle
Science
Leadership
Engineering
Leadership
Advisors
Science
Leadership
Engineering
Leadership
BHEX Mini
Team
Advisors
Inner
circle
BHEX Mini
BHEX Mini ConOps
Sep
💰Funding Deadlines
$5,000
$175,000
>$4M
-
Brown Nelson Grants
- Submitted: June 30
- Decision: Sep 15
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NASA NIAC Phase I
- Submitted: July 15
- Decision: Sep 6
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Templeton Grant
- Submitted: Aug 15
- Decision: Oct 10
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AAS Splinter Meeting
- Submitted: Sep 25
- Decision: Oct 30
Oct
💰Funding Deadlines
$5,000
-
NASA NIAC Phase I
- Submitted: July 15
- Decision: Sep 6
$175,000
-
Brown Nelson Grants
- Submitted: June 30
- Decision: Sep 15
>$4M
-
Templeton Grant
- Submitted: Aug 15
- Decision: Oct 10
-
AAS Splinter Meeting
- Submitted: Sep 25
- Decision: Oct 30
-
CSA FAST Grant
- Submitted: Oct 26
- Decision: Dec 15
>$400,000
BHEX Mini
- NSF ATI Grant Director Meeting (09/01)
- Ref Princeton IAS Colloquium (09/04)
- Canadian CSA FAST (09/05)
- NASA NIAC Decision (09/06)
- ASCEND 2026 Session Proposals (Due 09/18)
- Michael Johnson Colloquium (09/22)
- AAS Splinter Meeting (Due 09/25)
- CSA FAST Grant (Due 10/06)
- AAAS Poster Deadline (Due 10/17)
- NSF Advanced Tech & Instrumentation Grant (Due 11/17)
Ground Operations (GO)
Science Operations (SO)
Engineering Operations (EO)
Logistics Operations (LO)
BHEX Mini
BHEX Mini
GO
- Complete Concept of Operations
- Determine Ground Telescope Visibility
- Identify Optical Terminal Ground Placement
Science Operations (SO)
Engineering Operations (EO)
Logistics Operations (LO)
BHEX Mini
GO
SO
- Identify PSOs w/ AstroDecadal Survey 2020
- Create Science Traceability Matrix
- ISM Scattering Simulations at 86 GHz
- Complete Concept of Operations
- Determine Ground Telescope Visibility
- Identify Optical Terminal Ground Placement
Engineering Operations (EO)
Logistics Operations (LO)
BHEX Mini
GO
SO
EO
- Identify PSOs w/ AstroDecadal Survey 2020
- Create Science Traceability Matrix
- ISM Scattering Simulations at 86 GHz
- Deployable vs. Hard-Parabola Antenna
- Identify PTOs w/ NASA Roadmap
- Complete Concept of Operations
- Determine Ground Telescope Visibility
- Identify Optical Terminal Ground Placement
Logistics Operations (LO)
BHEX Mini
GO
SO
EO
LO
- Identify PSOs w/ AstroDecadal Survey 2020
- Create Science Traceability Matrix
- ISM Scattering Simulations at 86 GHz
- Deployable vs. Hard-Parabola Antenna
- Identify PTOs w/ NASA Roadmap
- Write abstract for AAS 247th Meeting
- CSA sub-orbital platforms to advance TRL
- Outreach to Quantum Optical VLBI scientists
- Complete Concept of Operations
- Determine Ground Telescope Visibility
- Identify Optical Terminal Ground Placement
BHEX Mini
GO
SO
EO
LO
- Identify PSOs w/ AstroDecadal Survey 2020
- Create Science Traceability Matrix
- ISM Scattering Simulations at 86 GHz
- Deployable vs. Hard-Parabola Antenna
- Identify PTOs w/ NASA Roadmap
- Write abstract for AAS 247th Meeting
- CSA sub-orbital platforms to advance TRL
- Outreach to Quantum Optical VLBI scientists
- Complete Concept of Operations
- Determine Ground Telescope Visibility
- Identify Optical Terminal Ground Placement
HIGH
HIGH
HIGH
MID
MID
LOW
LOW
HIGH
HIGH
LOW
HIGH
BHEX Mini
BHEX Mini
BHEX Mini
BHEX Mini
Join Our Team!
refath_bari@brown.edu
BHEX Mini | New Students Orientation
By Ref Bari
