Jezeroโs three waters already ran. PR148 already ran. This is the unused Wednesday selection.
Caltech / NASA, Sept. 23: NASA selected PRIMA โ the Probe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory will develop and operate the $1 billion observatory. Caltechโs IPAC is the mission science center: ingest, process, archive, and schedule time. Nicky Fox, NASA Science Mission Directorate: it will unveil the obscure across cosmic time. A quote is not a first-light date.
The hardware NASA and Caltech named: a cryogenically cooled 1.8-meter telescope; an imaging polarimeter, PRIMAger; a high-resolution spectrometer, FIRESS; wavelengths from 24 to 235 micrometers. PRIMA is NASAโs first probe-class astrophysics mission, the gap between Explorer-class SPHEREx and a flagship. About 75 percent of observing time is slated for the community by peer review; the team already has nearly 200 ideas from more than 400 astronomers. Confirmation moves the project into detailed design and technology maturation, with a launch target in the 2030s. Selected is not launched. The 2030s are not this winter.
What this means for you
If you needed Mondayโs three waters, they still stand. If you needed tonightโs unused science, it is a $1 billion probe, a 1.8-meter mirror, and a 2030s target. Not a pad. Not Jezero again.
Bottom line: PRIMA selected. $1 billion. 1.8 meters. Not a launch. Not three waters.
GLHR NEWS explains the news. Not investment, tax, or trading advice. Do your own work before you act.
