NASA · Space

NASA Advances LISA Mission Telescope Development

NASA is advancing the development of an all-glass telescope for the LISA mission, a space observatory designed to detect gravitational waves. L3Harris Technologies will build this Engineering Test Unit, a final step before flight hardware production.

The LISA mission, led by ESA with NASA as a partner, is slated for a mid-2030s launch. NASA contributes telescopes and engineering support.

LISA will use three satellites in a vast triangular array (1.6 million miles apart) to measure minute distance changes via infrared laser beams, detecting gravitational waves.

These tiny changes will reveal low-frequency gravitational waves, enabling observation of black hole mergers and stellar objects, and potentially new insights into gravity.

The telescopes are made of Zerodur glass-ceramic for thermal stability. A prototype underwent rigorous testing, informing this new unit's design.

This test unit is the final pre-flight hardware and first optical telescope delivery to ESA from NASA Goddard. A metal structural model was previously delivered.

Gravitational waves, predicted by Einstein and first detected in 2015, are formed by accelerating massive objects and travel at light speed.

NASA also provides the laser system, charge management devices, data analysis, and expertise. ESA's LISA Pathfinder mission proved feasibility for detection.

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