SMuK 2021 – scientific programme
Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help
EP: Fachverband Extraterrestrische Physik
EP 5: Exoplanets and Astrobiology I
EP 5.3: Talk
Wednesday, September 1, 2021, 17:15–17:30, H9
The LIFE initiative - developing a space mission to search for life outside the Solar System — •Sascha P. Quanz1 and LIFE Initiative2 — 1Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics, ETH Zurich — 2www.life-space-mission.com
In the context of its Voyage 2050 process the European Space Agency has recently identified the detection and characterization of rocky, temperate exoplanets as a potential science theme for a future L-class mission. Since its official kick-off in 2018, the LIFE initiative (LIFE=Large Interferometer For Exoplanets) has been working towards exactly that goal: to develop the science, the technology and a roadmap for an ambitious mid-infrared space mission that will allow humankind to detect and characterize the atmospheres of hundreds of nearby extrasolar planets including dozens that are similar to Earth. In this talk I will summarize the current status of the LIFE initiative, highlight the unprecedented scientific potential of the LIFE mission, discuss synergies with other ground- and space-based exoplanet instruments and missions, and elaborate on remaining technological challenges.