  Though the ultraviolet (UV) domain plays a vital role in the studies of
astronomical transient events, the UV time-domain sky remains largely
unexplored. We have designed a wide-field UV imager that can be flown on a
range of available platforms, such as high-altitude balloons, CubeSats, and
larger space missions. The major scientific goals are the variability of
astronomical sources, detection of transients such as supernovae, novae, tidal
disruption events, and characterizing AGN variability. The instrument has an 80
mm aperture with a circular field of view of 10.8 degrees, an angular
resolution of around 22 arcsec, and a 240-390 nm spectral observation window.
The detector for the instrument is a Microchannel Plate (MCP)-based image
intensifier with both photon counting and integration capabilities. An
FPGA-based detector readout mechanism and real-time data processing have been
implemented. The imager is designed in such a way that its lightweight and
compact nature are well fitted for the CubeSat dimensions. Here we present
various design and developmental aspects of this UV wide-field transient
explorer.
