BHEX Mini

Direct Imaging Black Holes from LEO

Ref Bari, Brown University

Ref Bari

Physics MS, Brown

Analysis of Binary Black Holes via Neural Networks (under Prof. Brendan Keith, Brown)
- Funded under NSF Neural DynAMO Grant
“Nitrogen Outgassing from Water Worlds” (R.Bari et. al., under review, The Astrophysical Journal 2025)
“Reflection from Relativistic Light Sails” (R. Bari, The Astronomical Journal 2024)
“Simulating the Action Principle in Optics” (R. Bari, The Physics Teacher 2023)
Spin Qubit CNN Researcher at the Meriles Condensed Matter Lab
“A Path Integral Derivation of Hawking Radiation” (MS Thesis)

Binary Black Holes

Physics MS, Brown

Analysis of Binary Black Holes via Neural Networks (Prof. Brendan Keith, Brown)
- Funded under NSF Neural DynAMO Grant

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)
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)
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
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

NASA NIAC Phase I
- Submitted: July 15
- Decision: Sep 6

Templeton Grant
- Submitted: Aug 15
- Decision: Oct 10

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!

BHEXMini.com

refath_bari@brown.edu