artist’s concept of mission
artist's concept of mission A landmark mission involving UCL researchers aims to trace patterns in the light from space, looking back almost to the Big Bang, bringing us closer to understanding the nature of our Universe and how it began. The Japanese-led LiteBIRD mission ("Light satellite for the study of B-mode polarization and Inflation from cosmic background Radiation Detection") will analyse variations in light left over from the Big Bang, to test whether the current theory of how our Universe expanded immediately after it was formed (cosmological inflation theory) is correct. The UK Space Agency has committed an initial £2.7 million and intends to invest a total £17 million throughout the life of the mission, slated for launch before 2030. UCL researchers will contribute to the modelling and design of the optical elements of two of the mission's telescopes, will model how the structure of the telescopes will be affected by the extreme cold of space, and will support the calibration and testing of systems and components. The project involves Professor Giorgio Savini, Dr Alexey Shitvov (UCL Physics & Astronomy) and Mr Berend Winter (Mullard Space Science Laboratory at UCL).
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