Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
May 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011aas...21831401n&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #218, #314.01; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 43, 2011
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Scientific paper
We are presenting an overview of the SPICA (Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics) mission, which is a mission optimized for mid- and far-infrared astronomy with a cryogenically cooled 3-m class (3.2 m in the current design) telescope. Its high spatial resolution and unprecedented sensitivity in the mid- and far-infrared will enable us to address a number of key problems in present-day astronomy, ranging from the star-formation history of the universe to the formation of planets. To reduce the mass of the whole mission, SPICA will be launched at ambient temperature and cooled down on orbit by mechanical coolers on board with an efficient radiative cooling system. This combination allows us to have a 3-m class cooled (6 K) telescope in space with moderate total weight (3.7t). SPICA is proposed as a Japanese-led mission together with extensive international collaboration. ESA is a major partner and is supposed to take responsibility for the SPICA telescope assembly, a European ground segment, an European instrument systems engineering and management. The assessment study on the European contribution to the SPICA mission has been conducted under the framework of the ESA Cosmic Vision 2015-2025. US community also shows strong interest to participate in SPICA and to procure a sensitive far-infrared and sub-mm spectrometer. Assessment study of this type of spectrometers was conducted with NASA funding in 2010. Korean participation is also being discussed extensively. The target launch year of SPICA is late 2010s.
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