Related papers: Prospect for UV observations from the Moon

We present a short history of the TAUVEX instrument, conceived to provide multi-band wide-field imaging in the ultraviolet, emphasizing the lack of sufficient and aggressive support on the part of the different space agencies that dealt…

Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) measurements are crucial for advanced exploration of the evolutionary history of the lunar orbit, the laws of fundamental gravitational physics, selenophysics and geophysics as well as for future human missions to…

Several space missions are proposed or planned for the coming two decades dedicated or including mid- to high-resolution spectropolarimetry on a wide UV band. This includes the European instrument Pollux for the NASA HWO flagship mission,…

Research activities during the last decade have shown the strong potential of photonic devices to greatly simplify ground based and space borne astronomical instruments and to improve their performance. We focus specifically on the…

By volume, more than 99% of the solar system has not been imaged at radio frequencies. Almost all of this space (the solar wind) can be traversed by fast electrons producing radio emissions at frequencies lower than the terrestrial…

A coming resurgence of super heavy-lift launch vehicles has precipitated an immense interest in the future of crewed spaceflight and even future colonisation efforts. While it is true that a bright future awaits this sector, driven by…

UVMag is a project of a space mission equipped with a high-resolution spectropolarimeter working in the UV and visible range. This M-size mission will be proposed to ESA at its M4 call. The main goal of UVMag is to measure the magnetic…

Recent advancements in low-cost astronomical equipment, including high-quality medium-aperture telescopes and low-noise CMOS detectors, have made the deployment of large optical telescope arrays both financially feasible and scientifically…

We describe the development and implementation of a light-weight, fully autonomous 2-axis pointing and stabilization system designed for balloon-borne astronomical payloads. The system is developed using off-the-shelf components such as…

We have begun a program of high altitude ballooning at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore. Recent advances in balloons as well as in electronics have made possible scientific payloads at costs accessible to university…

Lunar exploration has become a key focus, driving scientific and technological advances. Ongoing missions are deploying rovers to the surface of the Moon, targeting the far side and south pole. However, these terrains pose challenges,…

A review of modernization and growth of ground based optical and near-infrared astrophysical observational facilities in the globe attributed to the recent technological developments in optomechanical, electronics and computer science areas…

The ESA Euclid mission is a space telescope that will survey ~15,000 square degrees of the sky, primarily to study the distant universe (constraining cosmological parameters through the lensing of galaxies). It is also expected to observe…

UVMag is a medium-size space telescope equipped with a high-resolution spectropolarimeter working in the UV and visible domains. It will be proposed to ESA for a future M mission. It will allow scientists to study all types of stars as well…

We present initial results of an ongoing engineering study on the feasibility of a space mission to the focal region of the solar gravitational lens (SGL). The mission goal is to conduct exoplanet imaging operations at heliocentric…

This paper presents the latest optical design for the MOONS triple-arm spectrographs. MOONS will be a Multi-Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph and will be installed on one of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large…

Dedicated to spectroscopic and imaging observations of the ultraviolet sky, the World Space Observatory for Ultraviolet Project is a Russia led international collaboration presently involving also China, Germany, Italy, Spain and Ukraine.…

[Abridged] It is expected that the ongoing and future space-borne planet survey missions including TESS, PLATO, and Earth 2.0 will detect thousands of small to medium-sized planets via the transit technique, including over a hundred…

The Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) is an instrument onboard Aditya--L1, the first solar space observatory of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), India, launched on September 2, 2023. SUIT is designed to image the Sun…

The Arcanum mission is a proposed L-class spacecraft that highlights the revolutionary approach which can now be taken to future space mission design. Using the case of the SpaceX Starship vehicle and in particular the high mass and volume…