UK imaging sensor manufacturer Teledyne Space Imaging has been awarded a payload contract for the CAS instrument on LISA, the ESA space observatory mission. Teledyne will take on the prime contractor’s role for the mission’s constellation acquisition sensor (CAS).
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will be the first space-based observatory dedicated to studying gravitational waves, or ripples in the fabric of space-time, emitted during powerful events such as two black holes coming together and merging into one.
In this capacity, the LISA mission will be the first of its kind to probe the entire history of the universe via gravitational waves and is the result of global cooperation between several leading space agencies, companies and organisations.
Teledyne will rely on its established capabilities in detector technology and prowess in proximity electronics to deliver six CIS220 detectors and the control electronics for the international space observation project. Teledyne will do this in partnership with Thales Alenia Space in Switzerland, who will be responsible for the optical head.
The LISA CAS instrument will help establish the interferometric laser links between spacecraft positioned at the vertices of a triangular constellation and transform them into a single gravitational wave observatory.
This will enable the mission to study the formation of compact binary stars and the structure of the Milky Way galaxy, as well as trace the origins and merger history of black holes and probe the rate of expansion of the universe.
“LISA is an endeavour that has never been tried yet,” said LISA Project Manager Filippo Marliani. “Teledyne Space Imaging and its partner, Thales Alenia Space in Switzerland, will contribute to making it possible with the challenging work on the CAS instrument. I am very much looking forward to this renewed collaboration with them”.
“We are very excited to be prime contractor for the CAS instrument on such an exciting space observatory mission as LISA,” said Teledyne’s Daniel Walker. “Our image sensor technology sits at the cutting edge of what could be a total game changer for the space observation sector.”
“This contract to deliver a crucial element of the mission hardware marks another milestone for Teledyne in the UK and showcases the importance of global collaboration between space agencies and companies to advance our collective knowledge,” says the UK Space Agency’s Head of Space Science Caroline Harper. “We eagerly anticipate the breakthrough science we can expect from LISA, which will enhance our understanding of the Universe and life on Earth.”
