NASA selects PRIMA far-infrared telescope as first mission in new Probe Explorers class
NASA has selected PRIMA, a far-infrared space telescope, as the first mission in its new Probe Explorers class, targeting a 2033 launch on a five-year mission capped at $1.2 billion.
NASA has selected the PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA) as the first in a new class of astrophysics missions, announced on Wednesday.
The 5.9-foot far-infrared telescope will advance to Phase B development, covering preliminary design and technology work. It must pass a confirmation review before implementation. If confirmed, project cost is capped at $1.2 billion, excluding launch and other non-project costs, with a 2033 launch target and five-year mission.
PRIMA will survey the universe in far-infrared light, bridging infrared observatories such as the James Webb Space Telescope and radio telescopes. Its science goals include origins of planets outside the solar system, the growth of galaxies and their black holes, and the build-up of dust and heavy elements.
“The PRIMA mission is humanity’s next window into the deep universe. It will unveil the obscure across cosmic time to better understand the formation of planets, stars, black holes, and even how water on Earth came to be,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of the Astrophysics Division, said it would give “an incredibly comprehensive look at the cosmos”.
The Probe Explorers class follows the National Academies’ 2020 Decadal Survey recommendation. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will manage the mission with Goddard and Marshall, and international partners including the UK Space Agency, CNES, ASI, DLR, CSA, KASI and JAXA.
It caps a competition under the Explorers Program, NASA’s oldest continuous space science programme, which has flown more than 100 missions since Explorer 1 in 1958.
Sources
- NASA, “NASA Selects Far-Infrared Telescope as First in New Mission Class” (news release): https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-far-infrared-telescope-as-first-in-new-mission-class/
- SpaceNews, “NASA selects X-ray and far-infrared space telescope concepts for study” (Oct 2024, background on the concept-study competition): https://spacenews.com/nasa-selects-x-ray-and-far-infrared-space-telescope-concepts-for-study/
- CEA/IRFU, “The PRIMA mission selected by NASA for a phase A study” (background; image credit): https://irfu.cea.fr/en/dap/2024/10/the-prima-probe-far-ir-mission-for-astrophysics-mission-selected-by-nasa-for-a-phase-a-study/
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