Future Space Telescopes

The importance of space telescopes in advancing our understanding of the universe cannot be overstated. They have been instrumental in numerous groundbreaking discoveries, such as identifying exoplanets, mapping the cosmic microwave background, and capturing the first image of a black hole. By providing detailed observations of distant galaxies, star formations, and other celestial bodies, space telescopes help scientists unravel the mysteries of the universe's origins, structure, and evolution. Their contributions extend beyond astronomy, influencing fields like physics and cosmology and inspiring future generations of scientists and explorers. This article will expand upon our previous article, Telescopes In Space, by overviewing the future space telescopes that you can get excited about!

What Do We Have Now?

Many telescopes are already in space, providing key contributions to our current understanding of the universe, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Hubble Space Telescope (HST). JWST, launched in December 2021, has already begun to revolutionize our understanding of the universe with its advanced infrared capabilities, allowing it to observe the earliest galaxies, study dark energy, and examine exoplanet atmospheres for biosignatures. HST, launched in 1990, has provided breathtaking images and critical data on the age of the universe, the farthest galaxies, and various cosmic phenomena, making over a million observations and fundamentally expanding our knowledge of the cosmos.

Complementing JWST and HST are other crucial space observatories. The Chandra X-ray Observatory, launched in 1999, offers high-resolution X-ray imaging of the universe's hottest spots, advancing our understanding of black holes, galaxy clusters, and dark matter. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), launched in 2018, continues the search for exoplanets, significantly expanding the catalog of known exoplanets. Then there are other telescopes such as NEOWISE, Gaia, SDO, and IXPE, each of which contribute unique capabilities, from detecting near-Earth objects and mapping the Milky Way to studying the Sun's activity and observing highly energetic cosmic phenomena. But what’s to come?

Upcoming Missions

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

Perhaps the most exciting up-and-coming space telescope is the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Roman, like JWST, is planned to be an infrared space telescope; however a major difference is the field-of-view of Roman. JWST has a very, very narrow field of view, but Roman will have a field of view that is significantly larger. This is enabled by its Wide-Field Instrument (WFI) camera, a 300-megapixel camera that will provide imagery in the infrared. Because of this, Roman will be able to capture an unprecedented number of galaxies and other objects in its field of view, giving us a broader understanding of dark energy and its effect on a larger scale.

Image Credit: NASA Click to Enlarge Image

Another instrument on Roman is the Coronagraphic Instrument (CGI), designed to enable more efficient detection of extrasolar planets. Current methods for detecting exoplanets, such as the transit method and radial velocity method, have been effective in finding many exoplanets. However, these methods often miss planets that do not transit their stars from our viewpoint or have subtle gravitational effects. The Roman Coronagraph will overcome these limitations by enabling direct imaging of exoplanets. Currently, instruments can detect bright, self-luminous young exoplanets that are a million times fainter than their host star and located more than 0.3 arcseconds away. A successful demonstration of Coronagraph technology will allow the detection of planetary companions 10 million times fainter than their host star at the same distance. Performance models based on current lab results suggest that the Coronagraph could detect planetary companions a billion times fainter than their host star and located more than 0.15 arcseconds away. This technology is crucial for future missions aimed at imaging and characterizing Earth-like planets, which are 10 billion times fainter than their host star and located 0.1 arcseconds away.

The Roman Space Telescope is set to launch no later than May of 2027 onboard the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from historic Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) Space Telescope

Image Credit: European Space Agency Click to Enlarge Image

The European Space Agency is getting into the extrasolar planet detection game in a big way with the PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) Space Telescope. PLATO, in many ways, shares similarities with the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) launched by NASA in 2018. PLATO uses a multi-camera design (26 cameras in total) to enable the detection of extrasolar planets via the transit method. PLATO will look at the light curves of hundreds of stars and observe the light from the stars as they pass through alien atmospheres en route to the Earth. This will allow PLATO to observe the densities, compositions, and even ages of planets around Sun-like stars. Additionally, PLATO will have another objective to look at stars, measure their internal structure, and see how stars evolve over time. PLATO builds upon the work done by previous space platforms designed to look at extrasolar planets, including Kepler/K2, CoRoT, TESS, and will complement JWST and ESA’s Gaia mission.

PLATO will launch aboard an Ariane 6 rocket in 2026 from Kourou in French Guiana.

Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor

A quick glance at the history of life on this planet shows just how catastrophic impacts from space can be. Asteroids and comets impacting Earth could completely destroy our civilization and way of life forever. Even as recently as 2013, we’ve been blindsided by objects from space that could have had massive regional impacts. That’s why NASA and other agencies look to space telescopes to provide early detection. The Near-Earth Object Surveyor (NEO Surveyor) is a space telescope dedicated to enhancing NASA's planetary defense by identifying and characterizing potentially hazardous asteroids and comets within 30 million miles of Earth. Equipped with a 50-centimeter (20-inch) infrared telescope, NEO Surveyor will conduct a five-year survey to detect and study near-Earth objects (NEOs) larger than 140 meters, which could cause significant regional damage if they impact Earth. Its two infrared channels will allow it to identify both bright and dark asteroids, measuring their size, composition, shape, rotation, and orbit. The mission aims to discover new NEOs and provide precise orbital data, striving to fulfill the U.S. Congress's mandate to locate over 90% of these potentially dangerous objects.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/The Planetary Society) Click to Enlarge Image

NEO Surveyor is designed as a follow-up to the NEOWISE mission and is a high-priority mission due to its potential ability to identify risks to our planet from objects in our solar system. The spacecraft will operate at the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrange point and will last for about 12 years. NEOWISE will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 or similar rocket sometime in 2027.

Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA)

All the telescopes we’ve looked at thus far in this article rely upon the electromagnetic spectrum - observing in infrared, ultraviolet, or visible light. LISA would be a space telescope designed to observe gravitational waves. Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime caused by some of the universe's most violent and energetic processes. Predicted by Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, these waves propagate outward from their source, carrying information about their origins and the nature of gravity itself. Gravitational waves are typically generated by massive accelerating objects, such as merging black holes, colliding neutron stars, or supernovae. Their detection provides a new way to observe the cosmos, complementing traditional electromagnetic observations and offering insights into phenomena that are otherwise invisible.

Image Credit: NASA Click to Enlarge Image

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is designed to detect these faint gravitational waves from space, where it can avoid the noise and limitations inherent in ground-based detectors. LISA will consist of three spacecraft arranged in an equilateral triangle with sides millions of kilometers long. These spacecraft will use laser beams to measure tiny changes in the distances between them caused by passing gravitational waves. As a gravitational wave passes through the triangle, it will slightly stretch and compress spacetime, altering the distance between the spacecraft in a measurable way. By analyzing these changes, LISA can detect and study gravitational waves from a variety of cosmic sources, opening a new window into the dynamics of the universe by observing everything from gravitational waves from black hole mergers to even the gravitational waves emanating from the time of the Big Bang itself.

LISA is currently scheduled to launch no earlier than 2035 onboard an Ariane 6 rocket.

Next-Generation Concepts

LUVOIR (Large Ultraviolet Optical Infrared Surveyor)

The Large Ultraviolet Optical Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR) is a mission currently under study by NASA, intended to be one of the most powerful observatories ever built. LUVOIR is designed to address a broad range of scientific questions, from searching for signs of life on exoplanets to studying the formation of galaxies. There are two potential designs under consideration: LUVOIR-A, featuring a massive 15-meter primary mirror, and LUVOIR-B, which has a smaller yet still substantial 8-meter primary mirror. Both configurations aim to dramatically enhance our ability to observe the universe across a wide spectrum of wavelengths, including ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light.

Image Credit: NASA Goddard: Astrophysics Science Division Click to Enlarge Image

In many ways, LUVOIR is less a successor to James Webb than it is to the Hubble Space Telescope. This is because, like Hubble, LUVOIR can observe in visible and ultraviolet light. But it’s a much, much larger telescope. Why does that matter? In optics, the larger the mirror, the more signal that can be collected. To give you an idea of how much more data, we can do some quick calculations comparing HST’s primary mirror area with LUVOIR-B. Hubble’s primary mirror is about 4.52 square meters compared to LUVOIR-B’s proposed 50.27 square meters. Comparing the two, LUVOIR-B has an astonishing 11 times the light gathering capability than Hubble Space Telescope.

This increased data collection capability translates into more detailed and comprehensive scientific results. For example, a larger mirror improves the telescope's ability to detect faint exoplanets around distant stars by capturing more light reflected from these planets. Additionally, LUVOIR’s extensive wavelength coverage, from the ultraviolet to the infrared, will allow it to explore a wider variety of astrophysical phenomena compared to JWST, which focuses primarily on the infrared spectrum.

Despite its ambitious design and potential, LUVOIR is still in the conceptual phase, and funding for the project remains notional. Any launch of either proposed LUVOIR telescopes is over a decade away or more, contingent on the allocation of resources and further technological development. The path to its realization will require significant investment and international collaboration, similar to the efforts that brought JWST to fruition. If funded and constructed, LUVOIR could represent the next leap forward in space-based astronomical observation, building on the legacy of HST and JWST and expanding our understanding of the universe in unprecedented ways.

Nautilus Deep Space Observatory

The Nautilus Deep Space Observatory - also just known as the Nautilus Array - is a concept being studied for a future observatory program. This proposal uses a swarm of space telescopes that will “station-keep” - like airplanes at an airshow - to form a larger, high-capacity telescope than anything currently available or planned. This array can achieve an angular resolution comparable to that of much larger telescopes, allowing for detailed imaging of exoplanets and their atmospheres. The enhanced capabilities of the Nautilus, including its high sensitivity and resolution, make it particularly suited for the search for extraterrestrial life and the study of planetary systems around distant stars. Such a massive array would dwarf the resolution capabilities of LUVOIR, JWST, and Hubble and would potentially have the highest return of scientific data of any space-based telescope. Unfortunately, such a mission would not be practical until the 2040s due to limitations in designing the optics and launch vehicle availability, but hopefully, future technologies will enable this observatory’s development!

Top Banner Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScl; IR: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScl/Milisavljevic et al., NASA/JPL/CalTech; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Schmidt and K. Arcand

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