Artificial Star To Be Launched Into Earth’s Orbit by NASA in 2029, Calibrating Telescopes on Our Planet

NASA is currently planning to launch an unusual payload, just the size of a toaster, with the goal of fine-tuning ground-based telescopes on Earth.

A Groundbreaking Initiative

NASA approved the Landolt Space Mission, which aims to unveil the secrets of the universe, particularly those concerning dark energy. George Mason University will be the home of the new space mission, which will put an artificial star in orbit around the Earth.

The space agency officially gave the mission a green light in February, but it was only announced to the public on June 10. The project will involve a team of 30 people, and it's estimated to cost $19.5 million.

The mission is named after the late astronomer Arlo Landolt, who combined widely used catalogs of stellar brightness in 1973, 1982, and 1992. Under this space exploration, astronomers will launch a light source with a known emission rate of photons and will observe it next to real stars to make catalogs of stellar brightness.

Part of the new space mission is absolute flux calibration, which will try to address challenges in astrophysics, like the speed and acceleration of cosmic expansion. Absolute flux calibration refers to the measurement of the rate of photons released by stars, a parameter that is currently hard to determine.

The emission of light particles is hard to measure partly because atmospheric interference alters the light observed by telescopes on Earth. This means that apart from the Sun, there are no real reference points for absolute flux calibration.

Scientists believe that measuring the distance and brightness of stars will benefit different fields of astronomy. For instance, it can help spot exoplanets around distant stars while determining their age and evolution.

Fake Star in Orbit

The artificial star is a satellite the size of a bread box equipped with eight lasers. It will mimic almost any type of star or supernova from across the universe and will shine lasers directly at ground-based telescopes.

This technology will help astronomers gain a better understanding of the real versions of these cosmic objects. Set for launch in 2029, the artificial star will enable experts to fine-tune telescopes and measure the brightness of the stars more accurately.

The fake star will orbit the Earth 22,236 miles (35,785 kilometers) up, far away enough to appear like a star to ground-based telescopes. At this distance, called the geosynchronous orbit, the payload will be allowed to move at the same speed as the rotation of the Earth, keeping it in place over the US during its first year in space.

This does not mean that the artificial star will be seen by everyone in the night sky. This satellite will be too faint to be observed by the human eye but will be visible enough for moderate-sized telescopes with digital cameras.

The satellite will be created in partnership with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and faculty and students from Mason's College of Science and College of Engineering and Computing. Meanwhile, the mission control will be based at Mason on its Fairfax Campus.