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LISA Technology Package
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LISA Technology Package

instrument
Also known as: LTP
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Quick Summary

The LISA Technology Package (LTP) was an instrument aboard the LISA Pathfinder mission, which successfully tested technologies for the future Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). LISA, a European Space Agency project scheduled for launch in 2034, will consist of three spacecraft forming an equilateral triangle with sides of about 5 million km (3 million miles). These spacecraft will trail Earth in its orbit around the Sun.12

The primary goal of LISA is to detect gravitational radiation. The LTP contained two gold-platinum cubes suspended in vacuum chambers. Lasers were used to measure the distance between these cubes with extreme precision, achieving measurements within a femtometre (10-15 meter), which surpassed the requirements for LISA itself. This technology is crucial for measuring the minute changes in distance between the LISA spacecraft that would indicate the passage of a gravitational wave.21

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. Laser Interferometer Space Antenna
  2. LISA Pathfinder

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