The Single Aperture Far-Infrared Observatory (SAFIR) will combine a large primary mirror with active cooling to provide unprecendented sensitivity at far-IR and submillimeter wavelengths. The observatory will study the formation of structures, from the first stars and galaxies in the distant universe to planetary systems around nearby stars.

Science Goals:

• Probe the epoch of reionization due to the first stars when the universe was less than 1/20 its present age
• Trace the formation and evolution of starforming and active galaxies since their inception.
• Explore the connection between black holes and their host galaxies.
• Reveal the details of star and planet formation in nearby debris-disk systems.
• Search for and quantify prebiotic molecules in the interstellar medium.

Observatory Characteristics:

• Primary Mirror Diameter: 5-10 m class
• Telescope Temperature: 5 K or lower
• Wavelength Coverage: 20 microns to 1 mm

Instruments on board:

• Background-limited detector arrays with thousands of pixels for broad-band imaging over the full wavelength range.
• Moderate resolution (R~1000) spectrometers with background-limited sensitivity and near-unit fractional bandwidth.

Orbit:

Sun-Earth L2 point

(Alternatives, e.g., a 3 AU orbit, are under consideration.)

Key Technologies:

• Large, cryogenic telescope.
• Long-life cryocoolers capable of reaching 5 K.
• Background-limited direct detectors for both continuum and spectral observations.
• Quantum-noise-limited heterodyne spectrometers tunable over the far-IR spectral region.

Schedule:

Launch NET 2015

5-year mission lifetime