CosmoCube Targets 13.5 Billion-Year-Old Signals From Moon's Far Side, Seeking Launch Within 5 Years
Updated
Updated · Universe Today · Aug 22
CosmoCube Targets 13.5 Billion-Year-Old Signals From Moon's Far Side, Seeking Launch Within 5 Years
3 articles · Updated · Universe Today · Aug 22
Summary
Cambridge's CosmoCube is being developed to orbit behind the Moon and capture the 21-centimeter hydrogen signal from the universe's “Dark Ages,” a period between the Big Bang afterglow and the first stars.
10-to-50 MHz observations are possible there because the Moon's far side blocks Earth radio interference and avoids ionospheric distortion, giving the small satellite about 40 quiet minutes in each two-hour orbit.
A 2-year primary mission would collect roughly 1,000 hours of data, which researchers plan to clean with Bayesian analysis, antenna-response modeling and in-flight measurements to isolate the faint cosmological signal.
The project also aims to test dark matter's role in forming the first stars and galaxies, using a compact radiometer and long deployable antenna built with UK partners including SSTL, Portsmouth University and STFC RAL Space.
Launch is targeted within 5 years, though the team warns the Moon's far side may become less radio-quiet as more agencies build lunar infrastructure there.