NASA develops telescopes for upcoming LISA gravitational wave mission

NASA is developing six telescopes for the LISA mission, a collaboration with ESA. This mission aims to detect gravitational waves from space, expanding on the capabilities of ground-based detectors like LIGO. LISA will consist of three spacecraft, each 2.5 million kilometers apart, allowing it to detect low-frequency gravitational waves. This setup will enable the observation of events such as supermassive black hole mergers, which LIGO cannot detect. The telescopes are designed for precision, capable of measuring tiny changes in distance. They feature a gold layer for infrared reflectivity and will use free-floating cubes as reference points for measurements. LISA is set to launch in 2035.