NASA Contracted L3Harris for New LISA Test Telescope
The agency moved to build a specialized telescope for the upcoming mission to detect low-frequency gravitational waves.
Updated on Oct. 9, 2026 in Space
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NASA has contracted L3Harris Technologies to design and assemble an Engineering Test Unit telescope for the LISA mission. This research-stage development supports a future constellation of three satellites intended to detect gravitational waves from space.
Why it matters
The mission aims to detect low-frequency gravitational waves, providing insights into gravity that ground-based observatories cannot access. This project extends the feasibility demonstrated by the LISA Pathfinder mission.
The telescope architecture uses an all-glass design constructed from Zerodur, a ceramic-glass composite material known for its low thermal expansion. Each of the three satellites will employ two of these telescopes to transmit and receive infrared laser beams across a 1.6 million-mile span.
The players
NASA
The United States federal agency responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space exploration.
L3Harris Technologies
A defense and aerospace contractor specializing in space-based sensor systems and satellite components.
The details
The system detects gravitational waves by measuring infinitesimal changes in the relative distance between free-floating gold-platinum cubes housed within the satellites. The spacecraft function by flying around these cubes to isolate them from non-gravitational forces, such as solar radiation pressure, which could interfere with measurements. Infrared laser beams transmitted between the telescopes provide the high-precision metrology required to track the motion of the cubes.
Timeline
1916: Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves.
2015: Ground-based observatories made the first detection of gravitational waves.
2016: The LISA Pathfinder mission demonstrated the feasibility of space-based detection.
2024: L3Harris delivered an initial prototype telescope to NASA.
June 2026: The team delivered a structural metal model of the telescope.
The Tech Race
This development follows the successful proof-of-concept demonstrated by the 2016 LISA Pathfinder mission. It advances the program toward the mid-2030s launch, competing with ground-based observatories for higher precision in different frequency bands.
This is a research-stage project, meaning there is no current impact on public technology or consumer workflows. The mission is scheduled for launch in the mid-2030s, at which point it will provide new scientific data regarding the nature of gravity.
The takeaway
The LISA mission represents the next generation of gravitational physics research following the 2015 ground-based breakthroughs. Watch for future integration tests of the Engineering Test Unit telescope as the mission moves toward its scheduled launch in the mid-2030s.
Further reading
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