Cosmic Vision
Encyclopedia
The Cosmic Vision is the paraphrasing name given to the roadmap for scientific space based missions of the European Space Agency
(ESA) in the time frame between 2015 and 2025.
The initial call of ideas and concepts was launched in 2004 with a subsequent workshop held in Paris
to define more fully the themes of the Vision under the broader headings of Astronomy
and Astrophysics
, Solar System
Exploration and Fundamental Physics
.
By early 2006 the formulation for a 10-year plan based around 4 key questions emerged:
In March 2007 a call for mission ideas was formally released, which yielded in 19 astrophysics, 12 fundamental physics and 19 solar system mission proposals.
The third M-class mission, M3, is planned for launch in 2022. ESA released a call for missions proposals for M3 in July 2010.
On February, 25, 2011, ESA announced the selection of four missions to undergo an initial assessment phase. In addition, Plato
, which was in competition for M1/M2, is allowed to compete for M3.
The five M3 candidate missions are:
The process for selection of one of the candidates for implementation as L1 started in October 2010.
In April 2011 it became clear that budget pressures in the US meant that the expected NASA collaboration would not be practical; so the down-selection was delayed and the missions re-scoped on the assumption of ESA lead and some limited international participation
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
(ESA) in the time frame between 2015 and 2025.
The initial call of ideas and concepts was launched in 2004 with a subsequent workshop held in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to define more fully the themes of the Vision under the broader headings of Astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
, Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
Exploration and Fundamental Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
.
By early 2006 the formulation for a 10-year plan based around 4 key questions emerged:
- What are the conditions for planetPlanetA planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
formation and the emergence of lifeLifeLife is a characteristic that distinguishes objects that have signaling and self-sustaining processes from those that do not, either because such functions have ceased , or else because they lack such functions and are classified as inanimate...
? - How does the Solar System work?
- What are the fundamental physical laws of the UniverseUniverseThe Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
? - How did the Universe originate and what is it made of?
In March 2007 a call for mission ideas was formally released, which yielded in 19 astrophysics, 12 fundamental physics and 19 solar system mission proposals.
Medium-size missions (M)
M-class projects will usually be relatively stand-alone ESA projects. The two first M-class missions, M1 and M2, have been selected:- M1, Solar OrbiterSolar OrbiterSolar Orbiter is a planned Sun-observing satellite, under development by the European Space Agency . The main mission scenario is a launch by an Atlas V from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in January 2017...
, an adopted mission for close-up observations of the sun; launch planned in 2017. - M2, EuclidEuclid (spacecraft)Euclid is a planned space telescope, an M-class mission of the ESA Cosmic Vision 2020-2025, planned to be launched in 2019...
, a selected mission to study dark energy and dark matter; launch planned in 2019.
The third M-class mission, M3, is planned for launch in 2022. ESA released a call for missions proposals for M3 in July 2010.
On February, 25, 2011, ESA announced the selection of four missions to undergo an initial assessment phase. In addition, Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
, which was in competition for M1/M2, is allowed to compete for M3.
The five M3 candidate missions are:
- EChOEChOThe Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory is a proposed space telescope that has been selected for further studies as part of the Cosmic Vision roadmap of the European Space Agency, and is competing with three other missions for the M3 slot in the programme.EChO will be the first dedicated...
(Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory), a proposed mission to study exoplanet atmospheres - LOFTLOFTThe Large Observatory for X-ray Timing is a proposed ESA space mission slated to launch around 2022, and devoted to the study of neutron stars, black holes and other compact objects by means of their very rapid X-ray variability....
(Large Observatory For X-ray Timing), a proposed mission to study neutron stars and black holes by detecting their very rapid X-ray variability - MarcoPolo-RMarcoPolo-RMarcoPolo-R is a proposed space mission to return a sample of material to Earth from the surface of a Near Earth asteroid for detailed study in laboratories...
, a proposed mission to return a sample from a Near Earth asteroidAsteroidAsteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones... - PlatoPLATO (spacecraft)PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars is a European Space Agency-proposed space observatory that will use a group of photometers to discover and characterize extrasolar planets of all sizes and kinds around cool dwarf and subgiant stars...
, a proposed mission to search for new exoplanets and measure stellar oscillationAsteroseismologyAsteroseismology also known as stellar seismology is the science that studies the internal structure of pulsating stars by the interpretation of their frequency spectra. Different oscillation modes penetrate to different depths inside the star...
s - STE-QUESTSTE-QUESTSpace-Time Explorer and QUantum Equivalence Principle Space Test is a proposed satellite mission to test the Einstein Equivalence Principle to high precision and search for new fundamental constituents and interactions in the Universe. It will contain an atom clock and an atom interferometer...
(Space-Time Explorer and Quantum Equivalence Principle Space Test), a proposed mission devoted to precise measurements of general relativityGeneral relativityGeneral relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
effects.
Large missions (L)
L-class projects will often be carried out in collaboration with other partners and should have an ESA cost not exceeding 900 million euros. The first large mission, L1, is planned for launch in 2020. There are currently three candidates for L1:- Europa Jupiter System MissionEuropa Jupiter System MissionThe Europa Jupiter System Mission – Laplace was a proposed joint NASA/ESA unmanned space mission slated to launch around 2020 for the in-depth exploration of Jupiter's moons with a focus on Europa, Ganymede and Jupiter's magnetosphere...
/Laplace, a proposed mission to study the Jovian system (with NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
) - LISALaser Interferometer Space AntennaThe Laser Interferometer Space Antenna is a planned space mission to detect and accurately measure gravitational waves from astronomical sources. LISA was originally conceived as a joint effort between the United States space agency NASA and the European Space Agency...
, a proposed gravitational wave observatory (with NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
) - IXOInternational X-ray ObservatoryThe International X-ray Observatory was a planned X-ray telescope from about 2008 to 2011 by NASA, ESA, and JAXA. In 2011, NASA pulled out and ESA is forking/rebooting the project as the ESA Advanced Telescope for High ENergy Astrophysics ., which is an L-class candidate within the ESA Cosmic...
, previously XEUSXEUSXEUS, X-ray Evolving Universe Spectroscopy, was space observatory plan developed by the European Space Agency as a successor to the successful XMM-Newton X-ray satellite telescope...
, the proposed International X-ray Observatory (with NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
and JAXA)
The process for selection of one of the candidates for implementation as L1 started in October 2010.
In April 2011 it became clear that budget pressures in the US meant that the expected NASA collaboration would not be practical; so the down-selection was delayed and the missions re-scoped on the assumption of ESA lead and some limited international participation