Millimetron

Millimetron is a planned Russian Federal Space Agency space observatory, designed to study the universe in the millimeter and submillimeter ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum. The project is a collaboration between the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Applied Astronomy, and the Lavochkin Design Bureau, with contributions from European Space Agency, NASA, and other international partners, including University of California, Berkeley, California Institute of Technology, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Millimetron space telescope will be launched into a Lagrange point orbit, similar to the Herschel Space Observatory and James Webb Space Telescope, to take advantage of the Sun-Earth-L2 stable thermal environment, and will conduct observations in coordination with other space-based telescopes, such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and Square Kilometre Array.

Introduction

The Millimetron project was conceived in the early 2000s by a team of scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences, including Alexander Finkelstein, Nikolai Kardashev, and Vladimir Kurt, with the goal of creating a next-generation space telescope capable of studying the cosmic microwave background radiation, star formation, and galaxy evolution. The project has undergone several design iterations, with significant contributions from international partners, including University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and Max Planck Society. The Millimetron space telescope will be equipped with a range of instruments, including a heterodyne receiver and a bolometer array, designed by teams from Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center, and European Southern Observatory. The telescope will also utilize advanced technologies, such as cryogenic cooling and adaptive optics, developed in collaboration with Harvard University, University of Chicago, and Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics.

Design and Instrumentation

The Millimetron space telescope will feature a 10-meter diameter primary mirror, designed and manufactured by the Lavochkin Design Bureau and Thales Alenia Space, with a focal length of 20 meters, similar to the Spitzer Space Telescope and Kepler Space Telescope. The telescope will be equipped with a range of instruments, including a spectrometer designed by teams from University of California, Los Angeles, University of Michigan, and National Radio Astronomy Observatory, and a polarimeter developed in collaboration with University of Toronto, McGill University, and Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. The instruments will be designed to operate in the 20-900 GHz frequency range, with a spectral resolution of up to 10^6, similar to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and Submillimeter Array. The telescope will also feature a cryogenic cooling system, designed by teams from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center, and European Space Agency, to cool the instruments to temperatures as low as 4 K, similar to the Herschel Space Observatory and James Webb Space Telescope.

Mission Objectives

The primary mission objectives of the Millimetron space telescope are to study the cosmic microwave background radiation, star formation, and galaxy evolution in the early universe. The telescope will conduct a range of observations, including imaging and spectroscopy, of galaxies, stars, and planetary systems, in coordination with other space-based telescopes, such as the Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory. The Millimetron space telescope will also study the interstellar medium, including molecular clouds and dark matter, in collaboration with teams from University of California, San Diego, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and National Optical Astronomy Observatory. The telescope will have a mission lifetime of at least 5 years, with a possible extension to 10 years, similar to the Spitzer Space Telescope and Kepler Space Telescope.

Spacecraft and Operations

The Millimetron spacecraft will be launched into a Lagrange point orbit, similar to the Herschel Space Observatory and James Webb Space Telescope, using a Proton rocket or Ariane 5 rocket, provided by Roscosmos and Arianespace. The spacecraft will be equipped with a range of systems, including a power generation system, designed by teams from Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, and a communication system, developed in collaboration with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center, and European Space Agency. The spacecraft will be operated by a team of scientists and engineers from the Russian Federal Space Agency, Russian Academy of Sciences, and international partners, including University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and Max Planck Society. The Millimetron space telescope will conduct observations in coordination with other space-based telescopes, such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and Square Kilometre Array, and will utilize advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, developed in collaboration with Google, Microsoft, and IBM.

Scientific Capabilities

The Millimetron space telescope will have a range of scientific capabilities, including high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy of galaxies, stars, and planetary systems. The telescope will be able to study the cosmic microwave background radiation with high precision, similar to the Planck satellite and Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe. The Millimetron space telescope will also be able to study the interstellar medium, including molecular clouds and dark matter, in collaboration with teams from University of California, Berkeley, California Institute of Technology, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The telescope will have a sensitivity of up to 10^-6 Jy, similar to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and Submillimeter Array, and will be able to conduct observations in a range of frequencies, from 20-900 GHz, similar to the Herschel Space Observatory and James Webb Space Telescope. The Millimetron space telescope will be a powerful tool for studying the universe, and will make significant contributions to our understanding of cosmology, astrophysics, and planetary science, in collaboration with international partners, including European Space Agency, NASA, and National Science Foundation. Category:Astronomy