Key facts
- A satellite named CosmoCube is planned to orbit the moon to study the early universe.
- The mission aims to detect the 21cm line, a radio signal from neutral hydrogen atoms in the early universe.
- This signal can provide information about gas temperatures and potentially the nature of dark matter.
- The far side of the moon will be used to avoid interference from Earth-based technology.
- The project is expected to launch in approximately five years with an estimated cost under £50 million.
Scientists are planning a mission to use a satellite, nicknamed CosmoCube, to orbit the moon and study the early universe. The primary goal is to detect the 21cm line, a faint radio frequency signal emitted by neutral hydrogen atoms approximately 380,000 years after the Big Bang. This signal is expected to act as a thermometer, providing insights into the physical temperature of gas during the universe's formative stages, including the cosmic dark ages, the emergence of the first stars and galaxies, and the epoch of reionization.
Professor Eloy de Lera Acedo, the lead author from the University of Cambridge, explained that the signal's strength and characteristics are influenced by events in the early universe and potentially by dark matter, offering a way to investigate this mysterious component. Previous attempts to detect this signal from Earth have been challenging due to its weakness and interference from human-made technology and Earth's ionosphere.
The CosmoCube mission aims to overcome these obstacles by conducting observations from the far side of the moon, which is shielded from Earth's radio noise. The mission is projected to last two years, with an estimated cost of under £50 million and a launch date anticipated in about five years. The project has already secured over £2 million in funding from the UK Space Agency.
While the mission is seen as a significant step towards understanding cosmic origins, Phil Bull, a professor of cosmology not involved in the project, noted that other missions are also vying to make these measurements. He also raised concerns that other planned lunar missions could introduce the very radio noise that CosmoCube is designed to escape, highlighting a potential race against time.