Origins Space Telescope: Baseline mission concept
Journal article, 2021

The Origins Space Telescope will trace the history of our origins from the time dust and heavy elements permanently altered the cosmic landscape to present-day life. How did galaxies evolve from the earliest galactic systems to those found in the Universe today? How do habitable planets form? How common are life-bearing worlds? To answer these alluring questions, Origins will operate at mid-and far-infrared (IR) wavelengths and offer powerful spectroscopic instruments and sensitivity three orders of magnitude better than that of the Herschel Space Observatory, the largest telescope flown in space to date. We describe the baseline concept for Origins recommended to the 2020 US Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics. The baseline design includes a 5.9-m diameter telescope cryocooled to 4.5 K and equipped with three scientific instruments. A mid-infrared instrument (Mid-Infrared Spectrometer and Camera Transit spectrometer) will measure the spectra of transiting exoplanets in the 2.8 to 20 μm wavelength range and offer unprecedented spectrophotometric precision, enabling definitive exoplanet biosignature detections. The far-IR imager polarimeter will be able to survey thousands of square degrees with broadband imaging at 50 and 250 μm. The Origins Survey Spectrometer will cover wavelengths from 25 to 588 μm, making wide-area and deep spectroscopic surveys with spectral resolving power R ∼ 300, and pointed observations at R ∼ 40,000 and 300,000 with selectable instrument modes. Origins was designed to minimize complexity. The architecture is similar to that of the Spitzer Space Telescope and requires very few deployments after launch, while the cryothermal system design leverages James Webb Space Telescope technology and experience. A combination of current-state-of-the-art cryocoolers and next-generation detector technology will enable Origins' natural background-limited sensitivity.

biosignatures

infrared

cryogenic

space telescope

galaxy evolution

planet formation

spectroscopy

Author

David Leisawitz

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

E. Amatucci

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

L. Allen

L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES

J. Arenberg

Northrop Grumman corporation

Lee Armus

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

C. Battersby

University of Connecticut

James Bauer

University of Maryland

Bobby G. Beaman

Science Systems and Applications, Inc.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

R. Bell

Lockheed Martin Corporation

P. Beltran

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Dominic Benford

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Edward Bergin

University of Michigan

J. Bolognese

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

C. Matt Bradford

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

D. Bradley

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Denis Burgarella

Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille

Sean Carey

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

R. Carter

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

J.D. Chi

Northrop Grumman corporation

A. Cooray

University of California at Irvine (UCI)

James A. Corsetti

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

T. D'Asto

ATA Aerospace Civil

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Elvire de Beck

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics

K. Denis

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

C. Derkacz

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

LLC

L. Dewell

Lockheed Martin Corporation

M. Dipirro

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

C.P. Earle

University of Maryland

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

M. East

L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES

Samantha Edgington

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Kimberly Ennico

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

L. Fantano

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

G. Feller

Coherent

D. Folta

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Jonathan J. Fortney

University of California

B.J. Gavares

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Orbital ATK

J. Generie

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

M. Gerin

Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC)

Z. Granger

Lockheed Martin Corporation

T. P. Greene

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Alex Griffiths

University of Nottingham

George Harpole

Northrop Grumman corporation

K. Harvey

L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES

F. Helmich

University of Groningen

L. Hilliard

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

J. Howard

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

M. Jacoby

Lockheed Martin Corporation

A. Jamil

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

T. Jamison

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

L. Kaltenegger

Cornell University

Tiffany Kataria

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

J.S. Knight

Ball Aerospace

P. Knollenberg

Northrop Grumman corporation

Charles R. Lawrence

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

P. Lightsey

Ball Aerospace

S. Lipscy

Ball Aerospace

Eric E. Mamajek

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

G. Martins

ATA Aerospace Civil

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

John C. Mather

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Margaret Meixner

Universities Space Research Association

G. J. Melnick

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

S. Milam

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

T. Mooney

L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES

Samuel Harvey Moseley

Quantum Circuits, Inc.

D. Narayanan

University of Florida

Susan G. Neff

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Thanh Nguyen

Northrop Grumman corporation

A. Nordt

Lockheed Martin Corporation

J. Olson

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Deborah Padgett

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

M. B. Petach

Northrop Grumman corporation

S. Petro

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

J. Pohner

Northrop Grumman corporation

Klaus Pontoppidan

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Alexandra Pope

University of Massachusetts

Daniel Ramspacker

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

A. Rao

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Thomas Roellig

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

Itsuki Sakon

University of Tokyo

Carly Sandin

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Karin Sandstrom

University of California

D. Scott

University of British Columbia (UBC)

Len Seals

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Kartik Sheth

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Lawrence M. Sokolsky

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Johannes Staguhn

Johns Hopkins University

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

J. Steeves

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

Kevin B. Stevenson

Johns Hopkins University

E. Stoneking

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

K. Y. L. Su

University of Arizona

K. Tajdaran

Lockheed Martin Corporation

S. Tompkins

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Joaquin Vieira

University of Illinois

C. Webster

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

M.C. Wiedner

Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC)

Edward Wright

University of California

Chi Wu

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Jonas Zmuidzinas

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems

2329-4124 (ISSN) 2329-4221 (eISSN)

Vol. 7 1 011002

Subject Categories (SSIF 2011)

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

DOI

10.1117/1.JATIS.7.1.011002

More information

Latest update

3/9/2025 1