NASA advances LISA mission contributions with new test telescope
NASA has commissioned L3Harris Technologies to build an engineering test telescope for the LISA mission, which aims to detect gravitational waves in space. The mission, led by the European Space Agency, will use a trio of satellites to measure space-time ripples starting in the mid-2030s.
Why it matters
Advancing gravitational wave detection technology allows scientists to observe cosmic phenomena that are currently invisible to Earth-based observatories.
edited by Lisa Lock , reviewed by Andrew Zinin
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Add to Preferred Sources This artist’s concept shows the LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission at work. Telescopes aboard each of the three spacecraft simultaneously transmit and receive infrared laser beams, measuring their mutual distances to extremely high precision across 1.6 million miles (2.5 million kilometers). Credit: ESA NASA has taken the next step in the process of developing a new all-glass telescope for the LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission, a space observatory designed to detect ripples in space-time called gravitational waves.
L3Harris Technologies will design, assemble and integrate the new telescope for NASA. Called the Engineering Test Unit, this contribution represents a final step toward the future production of flight hardware.
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