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 those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...
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 Telesc ...
, covering similar wave bands, and to look into chemical evolution in the universe,
black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravitation, gravity is so strong that nothing, including light or other Electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic waves, has enough energy to escape it. The theory of general relativity predicts t ...
horizon radiation, and
dark energy
In physical cosmology and astronomy, dark energy is an unknown form of energy that affects the universe on the largest scales. The first observational evidence for its existence came from measurements of supernovas, which showed that the univer ...
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 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, three-dimensional orbit near 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 that it ca ...
around the
Sun–Earth Lagrangian point.
References
External links
Millimetron sitePopular Mechanics (RU)
{{spacecraft-stub
Space telescopes
2020s in spaceflight
2020s in Russia
Infrared telescopes
Satellites of Russia
Roscosmos
Proposed spacecraft