Pasadena, California – The teams behind two potential new space telescopes are in the final stages of their design studies as they compete to become NASA’s first “Probe” class mission. The two missions, PRIMA and AXIS, are vying for the opportunity to launch in 2032 after being awarded $5 million each to make their case.
PRIMA, the Probe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics, aims to study the universe at the longest infrared wavelengths, bridging the gap between what the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) can observe and what radio telescopes can detect. Led by Jason Glenn of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the international PRIMA team recently gathered at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California to kick off their design study.
On the other hand, AXIS, the Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite, led by Chris Reynolds of the University of Maryland, focuses on studying black holes in distant galaxies discovered by the JWST. The mission also aims to observe “transients” – flashes of X-ray light that could be from various astronomical events such as exploding stars or gamma-ray bursts.
Both missions have until 2026 to present their case before NASA makes a final decision. PRIMA is supported by the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany, where crucial components for the mission will be built, including high-precision beam-steering mirrors called “two-axis focal-plane choppers.” These mirrors will allow PRIMA to capture high-resolution images of different parts of the sky within its field of view.
The instruments onboard PRIMA, PRIMAger, and FIRESS, will observe light at wavelengths between 24 and 261 microns, making it much more sensitive than previous missions like NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory. The team behind PRIMA claims that it will have the capability to analyze the chemical composition of planet-forming disks around young stars in detail.
AXIS, on the other hand, would be a timely mission to fill any gap left by the Chandra X-ray Observatory should it face budget cuts. The mission would work alongside the JWST to study ancient black holes and their impact on surrounding galaxies. The decision between the two missions poses a challenge for NASA as they determine which one would provide the most valuable insights into the cosmos.
These missions are part of a new class of medium-scale Probe-class missions recommended by a recent astrophysics decadal survey. The missions aim to bridge the gap between the current generation of observatories like Hubble and Chandra and the next multi-billion dollar projects like JWST. The selected mission, whether PRIMA or AXIS, will undoubtedly expand our understanding of the universe.