The launch of the Spektr-M space observatory as part of the Millimetron project is scheduled for 2036. This was announced at the Russian Space Forum by the director of the P. N. Lebedev Physics Institute, Nikolai Kolachevsky. The device will be a direct continuation of the Radioastron and Spektr-R missions.
According to NPO Lavochkin, the observatory will search for traces of water, prebiotic molecules, and other markers outside the Solar System that indicate possible conditions for the emergence of life. The accuracy of observations will be increased by the use of new radio interferometry technologies in the millimeter wave range — this range provides more informative data compared to previous solutions.
Scientists are confident that in order to achieve significant scientific results in the 2045–2050s, fundamental programs need to be laid down now, going beyond the current federal project. Spektr-M should open access to research that was previously technically impossible and create a basis for ambitious discoveries in the next decade.
The announcement was made as part of Space Week – 2026, timed to coincide with the 65th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight. The event takes place at the National Center "Russia" with the participation of delegations from 40 countries.
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