Scientists building giant space lasers to unlock secrets of spacetime

By Dean Murray

Scientists are building giant space lasers to unlock the secrets of ripples in spacetime.

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will comprise a trio of spacecraft flying in a vast triangular formation 2.5 million kilometers apart, firing laser beams at each other.

The mission will be the world’s first space-based observatory dedicated to detecting gravitational waves—subtle ripples in spacetime produced by cosmic events like the collision of supermassive black holes.

Researchers aim to explore hidden aspects of the universe that could fundamentally transform our understanding of the cosmos and the laws of physics.

The European Space Agency (ESA) finalized a deal this month with OHB System AG, who will build LISA.

Marking the official start of industrial development of the mission, the partners will now finalize the spacecraft design and begin its construction.

From its vantage point in space, LISA will capture gravitational waves of lower frequencies than is possible from Earth, uncovering events of a different scale – all the way back to the dawn of time.

This will enable scientists to trace how massive black holes merge and grow across cosmic ages, explore the fundamental nature of gravity, and study the rate at which the Universe expands.

In our own galaxy, LISA will give us new insights into the formation and evolution of tens of thousands of compact binary star systems, and advance our understanding of stellar-origin black holes.

To achieve this feat, LISA is designed to be a constellation of three spacecraft. They will fly in a triangular formation, trailing Earth in its orbit around the Sun. Each side of the equilateral triangle will span 2.5 million km, more than six times the Earth-Moon distance.

ESA said: "Flying a trio of spacecraft over such large distances has never been attempted before. And as if that were not difficult enough, the spacecraft will exchange laser beams with each other over their vast separation."

The launch of the three spacecraft is planned for 2035, on an Ariane 6 rocket.