As of June 20th, the European Space Agency has officially selected LISA as the third large-class mission in its Science program.
LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) is a trio of satellites painstakingly designed to detect gravitational waves from deep space. LISA utilizes the same basic technology as ground-based LIGO and other detectors, but from its position away from earthly noise contaminants LISA will allow us to “hear” farther into space than ever before.
The LISA Pathfinder mission, which served as a proof-of-concept for some of the advanced technologies that LISA itself will require, will shortly complete its mission, and not long afterwards preparations for LISA will begin in earnest. There’s a long road ahead, though – LISA is not expected to launch until 2034. Still, this is a major event for the field of gravitational wave astronomy. Only 17 years to go…