Europees agentschap voor onderzoek geeft financiële steun aan ruimteonderzoek (en)

TeraComp, an EU-funded project managed by the REA i, has developed a high performance terahertz receiver, a key instrument for space research, which can help detect traces of life on other planets by recording electromagnetic signals.

A satellite orbiting a planet

According to the press release published yesterday, thanks to this success one of the project’s partners will now be involved in preparations for the first ESA’s exploration mission to Jupiter’s moons.

The newly developed device is more compact, lighter and more suitable for space missions than previous models.

It also captures electromagnetic signals with an unprecedented clarity, allowing researchers to better distinguish them from noise.

“The results demonstrate that the receiver is very well suited for remote sensing of atmospheres and astronomical objects,” explains Jan Stake from Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden), the project’s coordinator.

Omnisys Instruments, which was responsible for the design of a mixer and the integration of the final receiver, will now develop more devices for the ESA’s mission to Jupiter, planned for launch in 2022 and arrival on the planet in 2030.

The ESA’s satellite will spend three years collecting data on three of the planet’s moons, looking for life in their deep oceans.