List of proposed space observatories

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This list contains proposals for space telescopes, space-based (situated in space) astronomical observatories. It is a list of past and present space observatory plans, concepts, and proposals. For observatories in orbit, see list of space telescopes. Unlike that list, this one includes concepts and proposals that are unlikely ever to be launched, as they may have been cancelled or were only proposals.

Space observatories under development[]

Name Agency Type Proposed
launch date 		Fate Proposed location Ref(s)
TOLIMAN NASA visible 2023 under construction Low Earth orbit [1]
Xuntian Space Telescope CNSA ultraviolet, visible, infrared 2024 – Low Earth orbit [2]
Spektr-UV (WSO-UV) Roscosmos ultraviolet 2025 funded [3]
PLATO ESA visible 2026 Earth L2
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (formerly WFIRST) NASA infrared 2027 confirmed and named 2020 Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point [4]
LiteBIRD JAXA millimeter radio 2028 Approved for development Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point [5]
Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) ESA/NASA gravitational waves 2037 Solar orbit (approx. 1 AU; trailing Earth) [6]
AstroSat-2 ISRO Near Ultraviolet, Far Ultraviolet, Visible TBD – Low Earth orbit [7]
SAFIR NASA far infrared not soon proposed TBD ref?

Merged, cancelled, or superseded space observatories[]

Name Agency Type Proposed
launch date 		Fate Proposed location Ref(s)
X-Ray Evolving Universe Spectroscopy Mission (XEUS) ESA X-ray Merged into IXO – [8]
Constellation-X NASA X-ray –
International X-ray Observatory (IXO) NASA & ESA & JAXA X-ray No funding 2011; rebooted as ATHENA – [9]
Exoplanetary Circumstellar Environments and Disk Explorer (EXCEDE) NASA ? 2016 – Sun-synchronous Earth orbit, 2000 km [10][11]
SIM Lite Astrometric Observatory NASA ? 2015 No funding 2010 – [12]
Darwin Mission ESA ? – – Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point [13]
Terrestrial Planet Finder NASA ? TBA No funding 2011 – [14]
Dark Universe Observatory NASA ? Superseded by Roman/WFIRST Earth orbit (600 km) [15][16]
Dark Energy Space Telescope NASA & DOE ? – [17]
Astromag Free-Flyer (Particles) NASA ? 1 January 2005 – Earth orbit (500 km) [18][19]
VSOP-2 (Astro-G) (Radio) JAXA ? 2012 Cancelled 2011 – [20]

Additional examples and non-space telescopes[]

For launch in the 2030s, NASA is evaluating four possible designs: the Origins Space Telescope, Lynx X-ray Surveyor, Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission (HabEx), and Large UV Optical Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR).[21]

Balloon-borne telescopes have been in use since the 1950s. A 20–30 meter balloon telescope has been suggested.[22] The balloon would be transparent on one side, and have a circular reflecting mirror on the other side.[22] There are two main designs using this principle.[22]

  • Large Balloon Reflector (LBR) (sub-orbital version)
  • Space-based Large Balloon Reflector (LBR)
    • TeraHertz Space Telescope (TST)[23]

Additional examples[]

8 meter segmented LUVOIR-B (formerly ATLAST) telescope
ATLAST produced several versions for the LUVOIR telescope

Design studies[]

Calisto architecture for SAFIR.[32] This shows a design concept for a deep infrared space telescope harnessing JWST technology, for the SAFIR program.

Four NASA Design studies from 2018:[33]

Various proposals or concepts for high-energy light observatories (circa 2010s):[34]

  • AdEPT: Advanced Energetic Pair Telescope: pair production telescope concept for gamma-ray polarimetry
  • AEGIS: Astrophysics Experiment for Grating and Imaging Spectroscopy, soft X-ray spectrometer.
  • APT: Advanced Pair Telescope
  • Arcus, X-ray spectrometer concept for International Space Station
  • ASCOT: Advanced Scintillator Compton Telescope
  • A-STAR: All-Sky Transient Astrophysics Explorer
  • Athena, an X-ray observatory
  • AXSIO: Advanced X-ray Spectroscopic Imaging Observatory
  • AXTAR: Advanced X-Ray Timing Array, X-ray timing mission
  • BEST: Black Hole Evolution and Space-Time Observatory (include deep hard X-ray imaging (5 – 70 keV))
  • BHI: Black Hole Imager
  • Black Hole Finder
  • CASTER: Coded Aperture Survey Telescope for Energetic Radiation
  • EDGE: Explorer of Diffuse emission and Gamma ray burst Explosions
  • EPE: Extreme Physics Explorer
  • EREXS: Epoch of Reionization Energetic X-ray Survey
  • EXIST: Energetic X-ray Imaging Survey Telescope
  • Gen-X: The Generation X-Ray Mission
  • GRAVITAS: General Relativistic Astrophysics Via Timing and Spectroscopy
  • HEX-P: High-Energy X-ray Probe
  • INSIST: Indian Spectroscopic Imaging Space Telescope (UV)[35]
  • ISS-Lobster
  • IXPE: Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (launched Dec 2021)
  • MIRAX: Monitor e Imageador de Raios X
  • NHXM: New Hard X-ray Mission
  • Pharos
  • PheniX, focussing X-ray telescope concept
  • PRAXyS: Polarimetry of Relativistic X-ray Sources
  • SAHARA: Spectral Analysis with High Angular Resolution Astronomy
  • SMART-X: Square Meter, Arcsecond Resolution X-ray Telescope
  • Tsubame, micro-satellite for X-ray polarimetry
  • WhimEx: Warm-Hot Inter-Galactic Medium Explorer
  • WFXIS: Wide-Field X-ray Imaging Spectrometer
  • WFXT: Wide-Field X-ray Telescope
  • Xenia: a Probe of Cosmic Chemical Evolution
  • XIPE: the X-ray Imaging Polarimetry Explorer (ESA)
  • X-Ray Surveyor

Gallery[]

  • Artist's impression of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna

  • Artist's impression of the SIM Lite Astrometric Observatory

  • NASA conception of IXO

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "The TOLIMAN mission: precision astrometry for exoplanetary discovery in the solar neighborhood" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ "China's Answer To The Hubble Telescope". Popular Science. 11 March 2016.
  3. ^ "WSO-UV". Wso-uv.org. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  4. ^ Balzer, Ashley (9 November 2021). "NASA's Roman Mission Will Help Empower a New Era of Cosmological Discovery". NASA. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  5. ^ Concept design of the LiteBIRD satellite for CMB B-mode polarization. Y. Sekimoto; P. Ade; K. Arnold; J. Aumont; J. Austermann, etal. Proceedings Volume 10698, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2018: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave; 106981Y (2018) doi:10.1117/12.2313432 Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 9 August 2018, Austin, Texas, United States.
  6. ^ "LISA | Mission Summary". ESA. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Isro plans to launch India's 2nd space observatory".
  8. ^ "KEUS – The X-Ray Evolving Universe Spectroscopy Mission". ESA. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
  9. ^ "Official NASA IXO Home Page". NASA. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
  10. ^ "EXCEDE Home Page". University of Arizona. Archived from the original on 16 May 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  11. ^ "EXCEDE the Search for Planets". Astrobiology magazine. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  12. ^ "SIM Lite JPL". NASA. Archived from the original on 16 January 2007. Retrieved 19 March 2009.
  13. ^ "ESA Science & Technology: Darwin". ESA. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
  14. ^ "Planet Quest: Missions – Terrestrial Planet Finder". NASA. Archived from the original on 18 February 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2008.
  15. ^ "Dark Universe Observatory". Sonoma State University. Archived from the original on 5 December 2004. Retrieved 29 February 2008.
  16. ^ "Dark Universe Observatory – About the Launch Vehicle and Orbit". Sonoma State University. Archived from the original on 5 December 2004. Retrieved 29 February 2008.
  17. ^ "Destiny JDEM Mission Public Page". National Optical Astronomy Observatory. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
  18. ^ "NASA – NSSD – Spacecraft – Trajectory Details (Astromag FF)". NASA. Retrieved 27 February 2008.
  19. ^ "NASA – NSSDC – Spacecraft – Details (Astromag-F)". NASA. Retrieved 27 February 2008.
  20. ^ "VSOP-2 project". JAXA. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
  21. ^ Scoles, Sarah. "NASA Considers Its Next Flagship Space Telescope". Scientific American. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  22. ^ a b c Hall, Loura (3 May 2016). "Ballooning Expectations: New Approach for Astronomy". Nasa.gov. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  23. ^ Dunn, Marina Madeline; Lesser, David; O'Dougherty, Stephan; Swift, Brandon; Pat, Terrance; Cortez, German; Smith, Steve; Goldsmith, Paul; Walker, Christopher K. (January 2017). "TeraHertz Space Telescope (TST)". AAS. 229: 238.30. Bibcode:2017AAS...22923830D.
  24. ^ a b "Habitable Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx)". www.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  25. ^ University of Arizona (2 August 2019). "A new lens for life-searching space telescopes - University of Arizona researchers have designed a new kind of telescope that is a cheaper, lighter and more powerful option than creating telescopes using ever-larger mirrors. With a fleet of the newly designed space telescopes, they aim to scour a thousand potentially earth-like planets for signs of life". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  26. ^ Apai, Dániel; Milster, Tom D.; Kim, Dae Wook; Bixel, Alex; Schneider, Glenn; Liang, Ronguang; Arenberg, Jonathan (29 July 2019). "A Thousand Earths: A Very Large Aperture, Ultralight Space Telescope Array for Atmospheric Biosignature Surveys". The Astronomical Journal. 158 (2): 83. arXiv:1906.05079. Bibcode:2019AJ....158...83A. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ab2631. hdl:10150/634070. S2CID 186206769.
  27. ^ Apai, D.; et al. (2018). "Nautilus DeepSpace Observatory: A Giant Segmented Space Telescope Array for a Galactic Biosignature Survey" (PDF). Universities Space Research Association. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  28. ^ "M. Wong, et al. – A Dedicated Space Observatory for Time-domain Solar System Science" (PDF). Lpi.usra.edu. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  29. ^ "Space Telescopes".
  30. ^ "NASA Considers Sending a Telescope to Outer Solar System - Universe Today". Universitytoday.com. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  31. ^ "ZEBRA". Zebra.caltech.edu. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  32. ^ "SAFIR - Technologies". safir.jpl.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  33. ^ CleryDec. 13, Daniel; 2018; Pm, 2:00 (12 December 2018). "NASA is planning four of the largest space telescopes ever. But which one will fly?". Science | AAAS. Retrieved 9 October 2019.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  34. ^ "Concepts for Future High Energy Astrophysics Future Missions". heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  35. ^ "INSIST: A proposed Wide-Field, UV-Optical, Imaging and Spectroscopic Space Telescope" (PDF). Modern engineering trends in astronomy. 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2021.

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