The moon's far side may soon host the world's most sensitive telescope, shielded from earthly interference

NASA plans a $2.6 billion telescope on the Moon's far side, shielded from Earth interference.

: NASA plans to construct the Lunar Crater Radio Telescope on the Moon's far side, costing an estimated $2.6 billion, leveraging natural shielding from Earth's radio noise and light pollution. This ambitious project, set to be operational in the 2030s, aims to explore the universe's dark ages by capturing ultra-long radio waves blocked by the Earth's atmosphere. The telescope, significantly larger than the Arecibo telescope, will employ advanced robotics to suspend a reflector within a lunar crater. Despite technological advances, the project's cost remains a major hurdle, requiring further funding within NASA's budgetary constraints.

NASA is undertaking a groundbreaking project to build the Lunar Crater Radio Telescope on the Moon's far side, an endeavor that promises to revolutionize radio astronomy. The project's estimated budget is $2.6 billion, with plans to have it operational by the 2030s. The far side of the Moon provides a uniquely quiet environment, shielded from the radio noise and light pollution that impact Earth-based telescopes. This location is especially advantageous in light of the growing number of satellites, such as those from Starlink, which increase the risk of interference with terrestrial observatories.

Federico Di Vruno from the Square Kilometre Array Observatory highlights the importance of this telescope, warning that rising interference on Earth could 'artificially close windows' to observing the universe. The telescope aims to study the universe's 'cosmic dark ages,' a period before stars formed, using ultra-long radio waves longer than 33 feet. Earth's atmosphere blocks these frequencies, making the Moon's far side an ideal location for capturing them. This exploration could significantly enhance our understanding of dark matter, dark energy, and cosmic inflation.

The Lunar Crater Radio Telescope project is being developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. Since its proposal in 2020, it has advanced through various funding phases under NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts. The current stage involves building a prototype for testing at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory in California. Gaurangi Gupta, a research scientist on the project, mentions that preparations are underway for applying for the next round of funding, with the hope of transitioning the LCRT into a fully-fledged mission within the next decade.

Technologically, the telescope will incorporate a wire mesh reflector, approximately 1,150 feet across, suspended in a lunar crater using advanced robotics. This design will make it larger than the now-defunct Arecibo telescope, although not as large as China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST). The team has selected a preferred crater in the Moon's Northern Hemisphere, though the precise site details remain confidential.

While the concept of a lunar-based radio telescope has existed since 1984, current technology brings this possibility closer to reality than ever before. Earlier efforts, such as the ROLSES-1 instrument, faced limitations due to their Earth-facing orientations. Future missions aim to place more radio telescopes on the Moon's far side, testing the feasibility and potential of these observatories for astronomical value, free from Earth's interference.

Sources: TechSpot, LiveScience

Spacesciencerobotics