NASA Launches PRIMA: The First 'Probe Explorer' Mission

NASA has officially selected the PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA) as its inaugural Probe Explorer, a new $1 billion mission class designed to bridge the scientific gap between smaller Explorer missions and large-scale flagships.

The top 3

  1. A $1 Billion Mid-Scale Scientific Cap: Each Probe Explorer mission is strictly capped at $1 billion in development costs, excluding launch services and international contributions, to maintain fiscal efficiency.
  2. Targeting a 2033 Launch Window: Following its development approval, the observatory is currently targeted to launch in 2033 for an initial five-year mission to explore far-infrared cosmic history.
  3. Filling the Far-Infrared Capability Gap: PRIMA uses a 1.8-meter cryogenically cooled telescope to detect radiant energy that existing observatories like Webb cannot see, providing a critical link to radio-range observations.

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