Portuguese 
Lunar Satellite the Size of a Suitcase to Spend Two Years in Lunar Orbit and Utilize 40-Minute Periods on the Moon’s Far Side to Attempt to Capture Signals Never Observed Directly
A lunar satellite the size of a suitcase is set to spend two years orbiting the Moon to try to detect hydrogen signals from 13.5 billion years ago and investigate a period prior to the birth of the first stars.
Lunar Satellite to Search for Signals Never Observed Directly
Named CosmoCube, the project is led by researchers from the University of Cambridge and is designed to investigate the so-called cosmic dark age, a period of approximately 150 million years between the Big Bang and the emergence of the first stars.
One of the mission’s primary goals is to detect the faint 21-centimeter radio line emitted by primitive hydrogen atoms. This signal, which has yet to be observed directly, will be sought at frequencies between 10 and 50 MHz.
-
US Town of Over 2,000 Residents Used Dioxin-Laden Oil for Dust Control, Leading to Evacuation and Transformation into a Park After Cleanup
-
Brazil is Nearly 4 Times Richer, Yet Has Half the Active Satellites of Argentina: How the Largest Economy in Latin America Fell Behind in Space, Creating a Puzzling Disparity
-
U.S. Buried Over 21,000 Tons of Hazardous Chemical Waste Near Homes and Schools; Contamination Forced About 950 Families to Leave the Area Decades Later
-
Archaeologist Accidentally Discovers Colossal Fortress of 120,000 Square Meters in Turkey, Engulfed by Mountains and Surrounded by 1.4 km of Walls
The CosmoCube will also be used to study dark matter in the primordial universe. Researchers hope to gain a better understanding of its role in the process that led hydrogen to form the first stars and galaxies.
According to Professor Eloy de Lera Acedo from the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge, studying the emission of hydrogen from the period following the Big Bang and preceding the first stars could help investigate how dark matter acted during that stage of the universe.
Moon’s Far Side Will Serve as a Barrier Against Earth’s Interference
Detecting the signal from proximity to Earth presents a challenge. The Earth’s ionosphere and radio transmissions produced by human activities, including FM radio and telecommunications, block or interfere with the low frequencies sought by researchers.
For this reason, the CosmoCube has been designed to take advantage of the Moon’s far side as a natural barrier against this interference.
During the two-year mission, the satellite will orbit the Moon. Every approximately two-hour cycle, it will have about 40 minutes on the far side, when the Moon itself will block human communications from Earth.
“There is no other place where you can obtain the type of shielding necessary to detect such a weak signal while simultaneously observing all of space,” stated de Lera Acedo.
According to the researcher, the Moon’s far side provides the necessary conditions to simultaneously reduce various sources of interference and create a window for observing the primordial universe.
Mission Aims to Gather 1,000 Hours of Data Over Two Years
Over the anticipated two years of operation, the CosmoCube is expected to accumulate approximately 1,000 hours of data.
The goal is to use these observations to map the transition between a starless universe and the cosmos afterward, marked by the emergence of the first stars and galaxies.
The project is financially supported by the UK Space Agency. Researchers plan to launch the satellite within the next five years.
To make the observations, the equipment will utilize a lightweight antenna that will be deployed during the mission. The system was developed to operate during the times when the CosmoCube is shielded from terrestrial interference by the Moon’s far side.
The equipment will also feature an internal Dicke-type calibrator. This system will continuously alternate between observing the sky and reference sources to help filter out electronic noise produced by the satellite itself.
Technology Will Attempt to Separate Cosmic Signals from Noise
After transmitting data back to Earth, scientists plan to employ Bayesian statistical methods and computational simulations of the sky’s response.
These techniques will be used to attempt to eliminate foreground galactic emissions and distortions caused by instruments, allowing the team to search for the faint signal associated with primordial hydrogen.
The CosmoCube will also utilize chip-based radio frequency system technology, known as RFSoC, to power its miniature radiometer.
The combination of these tools is designed to enable a suitcase-sized satellite to make low-frequency measurements in a protected area from terrestrial transmissions.
Growth of Lunar Missions May Increase Radio Interference
The environment used by CosmoCube itself may change with the increase of human activity near the Moon.
Orbital and lunar surface missions planned by countries such as the United States and India could increase the presence of equipment and satellite communications in the region.
This increase may introduce new sources of radio interference into the currently protected environment on the far side of the Moon.
The CosmoCube project aims to leverage this region to try to capture the first faint signals from the universe before the growth of activities and communications near the Moon increases the available radio noise in that observation environment.
Information from eurekalert.
