Spektr-M (Russian: Спектр-M) is a proposed Russian scientific satellite with a sub-millimeter to far

infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those ...

space telescope. It is designed to be a successor to the

Herschel Space Observatory The Herschel Space Observatory was a space observatory built and operated by the European Space Agency (ESA). It was active from 2009 to 2013, and was the largest infrared telescope ever launched until the launch of the James Webb Space Telesco ...

, covering similar wave bands, and to look into chemical evolution in the universe,

black hole A black hole is a massive, compact astronomical object so dense that its gravity prevents anything from escaping, even light. Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will form a black hole. Th ...

horizon radiation, and

dark energy In physical cosmology and astronomy, dark energy is a proposed form of energy that affects the universe on the largest scales. Its primary effect is to drive the accelerating expansion of the universe. It also slows the rate of structure format ...

investigation. Spacecraft design documentation and prototyping is currently underway and expected to continue until 2023. Due to budget cuts in 2019, launch is not expected until 2030.

Overview

The purpose of this mission is to study the universe in millimeter to far infra-red wavelengths. The Herschel mission did a similar job with a smaller dish of , and this is a follow-up mission. The instruments are to be cooled with

liquid helium Liquid helium is a physical state of helium at very low temperatures at standard atmospheric pressures. Liquid helium may show superfluidity. At standard pressure, the chemical element helium exists in a liquid form only at the extremely low temp ...

to 4.5K for part of the mission, but sun shields will allow it to continue in a degraded mode once the coolant evaporates. It will be placed in a

halo orbit A halo orbit is a periodic, non-planar orbit associated with one of the L1, L2 or L3 Lagrange points in the three-body problem of orbital mechanics. Although a Lagrange point is just a point in empty space, its peculiar characteristic is th ...

around the Sun–Earth Lagrangian point.

References

External links

Millimetron site

Popular Mechanics (RU)
{{spacecraft-stub Space telescopes 2030s in spaceflight 2020s in Russia Infrared telescopes Satellites of Russia Roscosmos Proposed spacecraft