NASA Approves Landolt space mission to send artificial star to orbit

TapTechNews reported on June 20 that NASA has newly approved the Landolt space mission and plans to invest 19.5 million US dollars (TapTechNews note: currently approximately 142 million Chinese yuan) to send the first artificial star into Earth orbit by 2029 and deepen scientists' understanding of the universe.

The Landolt satellite is the size of a shoebox and is also equipped with eight lasers and will be sent into a geosynchronous orbit at a height of approximately 22,236 miles (35,785 kilometers).

This artificial star will simulate the characteristics of a real star and emit a controllable light beam to assist scientists in comparing and measuring the brightness, thereby creating a more accurate stellar brightness catalog.

This can improve the accuracy of ground-based telescopes and achieve accurate measurements of the brightness of stars and celestial bodies both within and outside the Milky Way, which may enhance the understanding of stellar evolution, habitable zones, dark energy, and the expansion of the universe, and help discover habitable exoplanets.

This artificial star, costing 19.5 million US dollars and only the size of a shoebox, can be seen through personal telescopes but cannot be seen with the naked eye. This mission is named after the astronomer Arlo Landolt, who is famous for compiling a catalog of stellar brightness and is expected to have a significant impact on astronomy by enhancing people's understanding of stars, exoplanets, dark energy, etc., and has the potential for breakthroughs in astrophysics and stellar photometry.