ASTHROS (Astrophysics Stratospheric Telescope for High Spectral Resolution)

A graphic of ASTHROS is shown in light and dark shades of blue and has a main cage-like body with large, rectangular panels stemming from its sides, small square panels on its lower half, and a thin structure protruding from the top. (This structure will attach to a large balloon). A telescope protrudes from the back of the structure.
An illustration of NASA's ASTHROS spacecraft. The colors depicted in this illustration are for artistic purposes only.
NASA
December 20, 2022
CreditNASA
Historical DateDecember 20, 2022
Language
  • english

An illustration of NASA's ASTHROS spacecraft. The colors depicted in this illustration are for artistic purposes only.

ASTHROS will send a telescope into Earth’s stratosphere using a high-altitude balloon. The telescope will observe far-infrared light, which is blocked by our planet’s atmosphere and thus cannot be observed on the ground. ASTHROS will create 3D maps of interstellar gas, providing new information about stellar feedback, a process that influences the rate of star formation.

Planned launch: December 2023

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