NASA has introduced a wide field infrared survey telescope to help researchers further space exploration missions and study the evolution of the universe.
The telescope will serve as NASA’s major astrophysics observatory to map large swaths of the sky in near-infrared light to explore the structure and evolution of the cosmos and study the planets outside the solar system, NASA said Friday.
John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator of NASA’s science mission directorate, said the mission aims to discover “planets beyond our own solar system with the sensitivity and optics to look wide and deep into the universe in a quest to unravel the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter.â€
Scheduled for launch in mid 2020s, the observatory will carry a wide field survey instrument and a coronagraph instrument for blocking the glare of stars.
NASA also designed to telescope to measure the distances of galaxies and monitor the growth of cosmic structures.
