The space observatory "Spektr-M" (project "Millimetron") will search for signs of life in the Universe. According to TASS, citing NPO Lavochkina, the device will record traces of water and pre-biotic molecules in the millimeter range.
It is in this range that the emission lines of water and complex organic compounds lie. Observations will be carried out in areas where stars and planetary systems are born. Prebiotics are not direct evidence of life, but they show that conditions have developed in this environment that are potentially suitable for its emergence.
"Spektr-M" will become the successor to the "Radioastron" project (the "Spektr-R" device), which operated in the centimeter range. The transition to the millimeter range provides many times more informative spectral data. If the observatory discovers water and organics, scientists will receive a map of regions where life may originate - or already existed.