NASA recently unveiled a prototype telescope for an upcoming mission aimed at detecting gravitational waves in space. This telescope is part of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, a collaborative effort between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA.
The mission’s objective is to position three spacecraft in a triangular formation, with each side spanning almost 1.6 million miles. These spacecraft will trace Earth’s orbit around the Sun. Each will be equipped with two telescopes to monitor the other spacecraft using infrared laser beams, capable of measuring distances as small as a trillionth of a meter.
Gravitational waves are generated during collisions between black holes, a phenomenon first theorized by Albert Einstein in 1916 and later detected nearly a century afterwards by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) Scientific Collaboration, which involves the National Science Foundation, Caltech, and MIT. Detection of a gravitational wave occurs when the three spacecraft deviate from their usual pattern.
The LISA mission is projected to launch in the mid-2030s. The detection of gravitational waves is anticipated to significantly enhance the understanding of the universe, including complex events such as black holes and the Big Bang, which are challenging to investigate by other means, as stated on the official mission website.
