The CASTOR mission: performance, uniqueness and science programs

CASTOR for the Cosmological Advanced Survey Telescope for Optical and Ultraviolet Research, is a widefield space telescope that is under active development by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). This 1m telescope will produce panoramic imaging of the UV/optical (150-550 nm) sky delivering HST-like image quality over a wide field of view (0.25 sq. deg.), in three filters simultaneously. CASTOR will be optimized for wide-field surveys, although the telescope may also feature low- and medium-resolution spectroscopic capabilities. The paper will describe CASTOR’s unique capabilities within the astronomical landscape in the coming decade, and present highlights from a recently completed Phase 0 study that defined the science mission, including 14 “Legacy Surveys” that span a wide range of fields: including Dark Energy and Weak Lensing; Time Domain and Multi-messenger Astronomy; Galaxy Evolution and AGNs; Star Formation and more.