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Landolt Space Mission
Telescope Details
Location
35,786 kilometers (22,236 miles) above the United States in a geostationary orbit
Purpose
This mission will put an “artificial star” in space. This satellite, which will look like a star when viewed from Earth, will allow astronomers to better calibrate telescopes used to measure real stars. This in turn will enable them to more accurately measure the brightness of both nearby stars and distant supernovas in far-off galaxies.
The mission will help astronomers address several open challenges in astrophysics, including determining the speed and acceleration of the universe’s expansion and searching for habitable planets outside the solar system.
NIST’s role
NIST will provide a photodetector that precisely measures the amount of laser light emitted from the artificial star at several wavelengths. These data enable astronomers to estimate how much of the artificial star’s light is lost as it travels through Earth’s atmosphere — a crucial piece of information for calibrating Earth-based telescopes.
NIST’s contribution is based on an experiment called CANDLE, a lab-based artificial star whose light has been measured to an uncertainty of less than 0.5% in visible and near-infrared wavelengths and that provides robust traceability to the International System of Units (SI).
Significant discoveries and current status
The launch of the artificial star is planned for 2029.
Other interesting facts
The mission is named for the late astronomer Arlo Landolt, who compiled widely used catalogs of stellar brightness in 1973, 1982 and 1992 and passed away in 2022.
The entire satellite is designed to be 6,000 cubic centimeters — smaller than a shoebox!
Supported by
George Mason University, NASA, Blue Canyon Technologies, California Institute of Technology, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Mississippi State University, Montreal Planetarium and iREx/University of Montreal, the University of Florida, the University of Hawaiʻi, the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and the University of Victoria
Operated by
George Mason University