Construction of ESA’s ambitious LISA mission begins
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
Construction of ESA’s ambitious LISA mission begins
Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, LISA, will be the first space-based observatory to study gravitational waves. LISA is designed to be a constellation of three spacecraft. They will fly in a triangular formation, trailing Earth in its orbit around the Sun. Each side of the equilateral triangle will span 2.5 million km, more than six times the Earth-Moon distance. Flying a trio of spacecraft over such large distances has never been attempted before. The launch of the three spacecraft is planned for 2035, on an Ariane 6 rocket. The LISA consortium is being built and assembled by the industrial team led by OHB System AG. Key elements procured by ESA’s member states include the external picometre-accuracy systems to detect the interferometric signal, provided by Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and the Czech Republic; and the Science Diagnostics System (SDS) provided by Switzerland and the Swiss Space Agency.
Today, the European Space Agency (ESA) and OHB System AG sealed their agreement to build ESA’s Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, LISA. A bold scientific enterprise, the triple-spacecraft mission will be the first space-based observatory to study gravitational waves: ripples in spacetime caused by the most powerful events in the Universe, such as pairs of supermassive black holes colliding and merging.
From left, ESA Director of Science, Carole Mundell, and OHB System AG CEO, Chiara Pedersoli shake hands at the signature event The signature event took place at the International Paris Air Show, in France, and officially kicks off the industrial development of the mission. In collaboration with the LISA team, OHB will now finalise the spacecraft design and begin its construction. “We are immensely proud that ESA and the scientific community entrust us to implement this groundbreaking science mission. Together with our partners we stand ready to bring LISA to life – pioneering our ability to ‘surf gravitational waves’ and enabling us to see our Universe in a new way,’ says Chiara Pedersoli, CEO of OHB System AG. “I’m delighted to celebrate the contract signing today with our partners at OHB who will lead on the implementation of this truly ambitious endeavour. LISA represents many years of pioneering technology developments, hope and belief of our scientific community, and steadfast support from our ESA member states. As the first space mission designed to capture gravitational waves, LISA will open a brand-new window on the dark Universe and test the known laws of physics to their extreme,” adds Prof. Carole Mundell, ESA’s Director of Science. “When it is flying, LISA will also represent the triumph of precision engineering and international cooperation on a new scale, and place Europe at the forefront of space technology and fundamental science.”
LISA is a large-class mission to detect elusive ripples in spacetime. From its vantage point in space, LISA will capture gravitational waves of lower frequencies than is possible from Earth, uncovering events of a different scale – all the way back to the dawn of time. This will enable scientists to trace how massive black holes merge and grow across cosmic ages, explore the fundamental nature of gravity, and study the rate at which the Universe expands. In our own galaxy, LISA will give us new insights into the formation and evolution of tens of thousands of compact binary star systems, and advance our understanding of stellar-origin black holes.
A constellation of three spacecraft LISA – measuring gravitational waves To achieve this feat, LISA is designed to be a constellation of three spacecraft. They will fly in a triangular formation, trailing Earth in its orbit around the Sun. Each side of the equilateral triangle will span 2.5 million km, more than six times the Earth-Moon distance. Flying a trio of spacecraft over such large distances has never been attempted before. And as if that were not difficult enough, the spacecraft will exchange laser beams with each other over their vast separation. The launch of the three spacecraft is planned for 2035, on an Ariane 6 rocket. Each spacecraft carries a pair of solid gold-platinum cubes, so-called test masses (slightly smaller than Rubik’s cubes), free-floating in special housings. Gravitational waves will cause tiny changes in the distances between the golden cubes in the different spacecraft. To capture the spacetime ripples, the mission will track these tiny shifts using the uniquely sensitive yardstick of laser interferometry – hence the mission’s name Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. This technique requires shooting laser beams from one spacecraft to the other and then superimposing their signal to determine changes in the masses’ distances down to a few billionths of a millimetre, or shifts of less than the diameter of a helium atom, over a distance of 2.5 million km.
International partnership Led by ESA, the LISA mission is a collaboration between ESA, its member states, NASA, and an international consortium of scientists (the LISA consortium). The spacecraft is being built and assembled by the industrial core team led by OHB together with Thales Alenia Space. Key hardware elements procured by ESA’s member states include the free-falling test masses shielded from external forces, provided by Italy and Switzerland; the picometre-accuracy systems to detect the interferometric signal, provided by Germany, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and the Czech Republic; and the Science Diagnostics Subsystem (an arsenal of sensors across the spacecraft), provided by Spain. Contact:
ESA Media relations
media@esa.int
NASA Unveils Prototype Telescope for LISA Mission, the First Space-based Gravitational Wave Observatory
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission will be the first space-based observatory specifically designed to detect gravitational waves. LISA will rely on a formation of three spacecraft arranged in a triangular array, with each side measuring 1.6 million miles apart. Each spacecraft will contain two telescopes, making six in total, designed to transmit and receive these laser beams with extraordinary precision. Gravitational waves provide insights into phenomena that are invisible to traditional telescopes, such as the mergers of supermassive black holes, the dynamics of binary star systems, and potentially the nature of dark matter. The LISA mission is scheduled to launch aboard an Ariane 6 rocket from ESA’s spaceport in French Guiana in the mid-2030s. The prototype is constructed from Zerodur, a glass-ceramic material known for its resistance to temperature changes.
Gravitational waves, ripples in space-time caused by massive cosmic events such as black hole mergers, offer a new way to explore the universe. The LISA mission, set to launch in the mid-2030s, will be the first space-based observatory specifically designed to detect these waves, marking a major advancement in astrophysics.
Engineering the Future of Gravitational Wave Detection
The unveiling of the Engineering Development Unit Telescope offers a critical first glimpse at the technology that will enable this groundbreaking mission. LISA will rely on a formation of three spacecraft arranged in a triangular array, with each side measuring 1.6 million miles apart (2.5 million kilometers). These spacecraft will be connected by infrared laser beams that measure the slightest shifts in space-time—down to picometers, or trillionths of a meter—allowing scientists to study gravitational waves that can reveal new insights into the universe. Each spacecraft will contain two telescopes, making six in total, designed to transmit and receive these laser beams with extraordinary precision.
Developed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the LISA telescope prototype is constructed from Zerodur, a glass-ceramic material known for its resistance to temperature changes, which is essential for maintaining stability in the harsh environment of space. The primary mirror of the telescope is coated in gold, not only to enhance the reflection of infrared laser beams but also to minimize heat loss, enabling it to operate effectively near room temperature even in space.
“This prototype, called the Engineering Development Unit Telescope, will guide us as we work toward building the flight hardware,” said Ryan DeRosa, a researcher at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The precision and stability of these telescopes are vital for detecting the incredibly faint gravitational waves and ensuring that the data collected is accurate.
LISA’s Mission to Explore the Hidden Universe
Once operational, LISA will offer scientists a unique way to study some of the most powerful and enigmatic events in the universe. Gravitational waves provide insights into phenomena that are invisible to traditional telescopes, such as the mergers of supermassive black holes, the dynamics of binary star systems, and potentially the nature of dark matter. These waves bypass the obstacles that often obscure our view of the cosmos, such as dust and gas, allowing LISA to detect and analyze low-frequency gravitational waves that ground-based detectors like LIGO cannot observe.
“LISA will reveal new information from ripples in spacetime that span just trillionths of a meter,” DeRosa added. This ability to measure incredibly small distortions will enable scientists to uncover the intricacies of cosmic phenomena and possibly learn more about the universe’s earliest moments. The mission’s potential extends far beyond the detection of gravitational waves; it could provide groundbreaking insights into the evolution of galaxies, the structure of the universe, and the fundamental forces that govern it.
Preparing for the Next Era of Space Exploration
The prototype telescope is just one of many steps required to bring the LISA mission to fruition. The engineering team will continue to refine the design and test the hardware to ensure that the final telescopes can withstand the conditions of space and perform with the necessary precision. Once launched, LISA will begin its ambitious mission of detecting gravitational waves and studying some of the most complex and fascinating aspects of our universe.
The mission is scheduled to launch aboard an Ariane 6 rocket from ESA’s spaceport in French Guiana in the mid-2030s. When deployed, LISA will form a vast triangular array in space, detecting gravitational waves that could answer fundamental questions about the nature of space-time and the forces that shape the cosmos. As NASA and ESA continue to prepare for this ambitious project, the prototype telescope marks a significant milestone toward unlocking the secrets of the universe.