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Explore NASA’s dream space telescopes in our interactive visual

LUVOIR, like the Hubble Space Telescope, would gather light over a broad spectrum. But Hubble’s mirror is 2 meters across, whereas LUVOIR’s may be 15 meters, larger than any ground-based telescope today. LUVOIR will scrutinize Earth-like exoplanets for signs of life, and watch gas cycling in and out of galaxies to fuel star formation.

LUVOIR comes with risks. Its mirror will require complex origami to fit inside a rocket fairing, and the necessary heavy-lift rocket, a version of NASA’s troubled Space Launch System, may never materialize. At more than twice the size of the James Webb Space Telescope, LUVOIR may cost twice as much, critics say.

Not so, argue supporters: The mirror is only a fraction of the mission’s cost, and LUVOIR won’t need the elaborate sunshield or cryocoolers that were essential for Webb’s infrared instruments.

Source: Science Mag