NASA advanced the PRIMA space telescope mission to Phase B development, clearing the path toward a potential 2033 launch, the agency announced Wednesday. The observatory is the first in a new class of missions called Probe Explorers within NASA's Explorers Program.
PRIMA is a far-infrared space telescope with a 5.9-foot mirror that will conduct deep observations of the universe in wavelengths of light between those captured by infrared observatories such as NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and radio telescopes. If confirmed through a technical review, the mission would launch in 2033 for a planned five-year mission, according to NASA.
The mission will study how planets, stars, and black holes form; how galaxies and their central black holes have evolved over cosmic history; and how dust and heavy elements have accumulated over time, NASA said. These observations should help explain the structure of the universe today.
NASA set a cost cap of $1.2 billion for the PRIMA project, not including launch or other non-project costs. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommended establishing the Probe Explorers class in its 2020 Decadal Survey for astronomy and astrophysics.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will manage PRIMA, with support from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and Marshall Space Flight Center. International partners contributing to the mission include the French, Italian, German, Canadian, South Korean, and Japanese space agencies, as well as the UK Space Agency.