Caltech and JPL will build a $1 billion far-infrared observatory

Caltech and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory will collaborate on PRIMA, a $1 billion space telescope designed to observe the universe in far-infrared light. The observatory will cool its telescope and detectors to hundreds of degrees below zero to minimize interference and achieve image clarity. Caltech’s IPAC is the mission science center, where raw data from the telescope is received, processed, and archived for use by astronomers seeking to answer some of the universe’s deepest mysteries. IPAC will also be responsible for scheduling astronomers’ time and use of the telescope. “PRIMA represents a giant leap for far-infrared astronomy,” says Caltech President Ray Jayawardhana, “helping reveal fundamental cosmic processes that have long been hidden from view.” The development of PRIMA’s ultrasensitive far-infrared cameras relies on technology originating from a 1999 invention by…