Oral Presentation

The next-generation Infrared Astronomy Mission SPICA

Hideo Matsuhara, Takao Nakagawa, Yasuhiro Kawakatsu, Mitsunobu Kawada (ISAS,JAXA)

SPICA is the next-generation, space infrared observatory, following in the footsteps of IRAS, ISO, Spitzer, AKARI and Herschel. With its 3.2-meter telescope cryogenically cooled to 6 Kelvin, SPICA provides an extremely low background level environment. With its instrument suite, designed with state-of-the art detectors to fully exploit this low background, SPICA will provide high spatial resolution and
unprecedented sensitivity in the mid- and far-infrared. SPICA will be placed at L2 point.
These unique capabilities will bridge the gap between ALMA/large submm ground telescopes and JWST/large ground opt.-IR telescopes. Thus astronomers will be allowed to address key problems in resent-day astronomy in many research areas, ranging from the formation of planets to the large scale star-formation history of the Universe. SPICA is proposed as a Japanese-led mission, with extensive international collaboration. The satellite is targeted for launch in 2022 with a nominal mission lifetime of three years.