ESA Approves Gravitational-Wave Hunting Spacecraft For 2034 (newscientist.com)

The European Space Agency has approved the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna mission designed to study gravitational waves in space. The spacecraft is slated for launch in in 2034. New Scientist reports: LISA will be made up of three identical satellites orbiting the sun in a triangle formation, each 2.5 million kilometers from the next. The sides of the triangle will be powerful lasers bounced to and fro between the spacecraft. As large objects like black holes move through space they cause gravitational waves, ripples which stretch and squeeze space-time. The LISA satellites will detect how these waves warp space via tiny changes in the distance the laser beams travel. In order to detect these minuscule changes, on scales less than a trillionth of a meter, LISA will have to shrug off cosmic rays and the particles and light from the sun. The LISA Pathfinder mission, a solo probe launched in December 2015, proved that this sensitivity was possible and galvanized researchers working to realize the full LISA mission.

Comments

Why are they waiting 17 years?

[He Who Has No Name]

The changes in cost to orbit per pound just in the last two years have been game-changing. For all we know in 17 years Elon is going to be negotiating their payload fees from his HQ compound built into the side of the Mariner Valley.

Get the lead out a little, ESA.