Researchers are developing a mission to study the early universe by placing a compact satellite in orbit around the moon. The instrument, called CosmoCube, will search for a specific radio frequency signal known as the 21cm line, which is emitted by neutral hydrogen atoms in the distant universe. This signal becomes stretched to longer wavelengths over cosmic time, a phenomenon called redshift, allowing scientists to track its properties as they look back toward the early universe.
The 21cm line essentially acts as a thermometer for measuring the physical temperature of gas during different cosmic epochs. By analyzing this signal, researchers hope to study events spanning from approximately 380,000 years after the big bang through the period when the first stars and galaxies formed, extending to about 1 billion years after the big bang. The data may also provide insights into dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up much of the universe, since the signal’s characteristics are influenced by its presence.
Detecting the 21cm line from Earth presents significant challenges. The signal is inherently weak, and interference from human-made sources such as FM radio broadcasts and aircraft communication systems obscures observations. Additionally, disturbances in Earth’s ionosphere complicate ground-based detection efforts. Previous attempts to identify the signal, including work by the Edges radio telescope in Australia, have generated debate about result validity. By positioning the detector on the far side of the moon, the mission aims to circumvent many of these terrestrial obstacles.
The CosmoCube mission is projected to cost approximately £50 million and is expected to launch in about five years, with operations lasting two years. The UK Space Agency has already provided more than £2 million in funding. While independent experts have expressed support for the project’s scientific objectives, they have cautioned that competing lunar missions could arrive first, and that future human activities on the moon might introduce the same type of radio interference the mission is designed to avoid.
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