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NASA has selected the PRIMA space telescope mission to study the history and evolution of the Universe

Researchers from ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s Department of Physics are part of an international team behind the Probe Mission for Far-Infrared Astrophysics (PRIMA), a newly selected NASA mission that will investigate some of the most important stages in the formation of planets, galaxies and black holes.

The mission will use a 1.8-metre far-infrared space telescope to conduct deep, sensitive surveys of parts of the Universe that are inaccessible to conventional observatories.

By observing at wavelengths beyond those visible to the human eye, PRIMA will reveal regions hidden by cosmic dust and help address a wide range of questions about cosmic history. This includes understanding how planets form beyond our Solar System, how galaxies and their supermassive black holes evolved, and how dust and heavy elements first built up in the early Universe.

Looking through cosmic dust

One of PRIMA’s key goals is to investigate parts of the Universe that remain hidden from traditional telescopes. Dust throughout the Universe absorbs visible light, obscuring critical stages in the formation of planets, stars, galaxies and black holes. By observing at far-infrared wavelengths, PRIMA will allow astronomers to study this dust directly and investigate the objects and processes behind it.

Dr Dave Clements, Associate Professor of Astrophysics in ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s Department of Physics, said “About half of the energy generation - so half of the action - in the universe is hidden by dust. Far-IR telescopes can see that dust and can see through it to whatever is hidden inside.

we can use PRIMA to see the critical stages in planet formation, the early evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes, and seek out the origins of dust in the first galaxies. Dr Dave Clements Associate Professor of Astrophysics, ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ

This means we can use PRIMA to see the critical stages in planet formation, the early evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes, and seek out the origins of dust in the first galaxies.”

As a general-purpose observatory, PRIMA is also expected to support a wide range of future discoveries beyond its core science objectives.

The selection of PRIMA marks a major milestone for an international collaboration involving researchers from the United States, Europe and Asia. Supported by the UK Space Agency, the UK’s PRIMA team brings together expertise from the University of Sussex, ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, Cardiff University, STFC’s RAL Space and Celtic Terahertz Technologies.

³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s contribution focuses on developing data reduction and analysis tools, helping scientists process and interpret the large volumes of information that PRIMA will collect.

For ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, the mission continues a long history of involvement in far-infrared astronomy. Researchers from the Department have contributed to pioneering missions stretching back more than four decades, including IRAS, ISO, Spitzer, AKARI and Herschel. PRIMA represents the next step in this scientific heritage.

PRIMA will be the first mission dedicated to observing the infrared Universe in more than a decade, opening a new era of far-infrared astronomy.

Professor Clements added “PRIMA fills a vital gap in our coverage of the electromagnetic spectrum between JWST (the James Webb Space Telescope) and ALMA (the Atacama Large Millimetre/Submillimetre Array).”

By bridging this gap, PRIMA will provide astronomers with a more complete view of the Universe and complement observations from existing facilities.

PRIMA is expected to launch in the early 2030s for a planned five-year mission, and will provide an unprecedented window onto the dust-obscured cosmos.