Astronomy:List of proposed space telescopes

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This list contains proposals for space telescopes, space-based (situated in space) astronomical observatories. It is a list of past and present space observatory plans, concepts, and proposals. For observatories in orbit, see list of space telescopes. Unlike that list, this one includes concepts and proposals that are unlikely ever to be launched, as they may have been cancelled or were only proposals.

Space observatories under development

Name Agency Type Proposed
launch date 		Status Proposed location Ref(s)
TOLIMAN NASA visible 2027 under construction Low Earth orbit [1]
Xuntian CNSA ultraviolet, visible, infrared 2026 under construction Low Earth orbit [2]
PLATO ESA visible 2026 under construction Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point
ULTRASAT ISA ultraviolet 2026 Geosynchronous orbit [3]
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope NASA infrared 28 September 2026 built[4] Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point [5][6]
Compton Spectrometer and Imager NASA gamma ray 2027 Low Earth orbit [7]
ARIEL ESA visible, infrared 2028 Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point [8]
Lazuli Space Telescope Schmidt Sciences visible, near-infrared 2028 Proposed, funded Elliptical orbit [9][10]
Spektr-UV (WSO-UV) Roscosmos ultraviolet 2029 funded Geosynchronous orbit [11][12]
UVEX NASA ultraviolet 2030 Highly elliptical orbit [13]
LiteBIRD JAXA millimeter radio 2032 Approved for development Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point [14][15]
AXIS (Advanced X-Ray Imaging Satellite) NASA X-Ray 2032 early planning Low Earth orbit

[16]

PRIMA (PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics) NASA far-infrared 2032 early planning Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point [17]
Taiji CNSA/CAS gravitational waves 2033 phase 1 of 3-phase development completed Heliocentric orbit [18][19]
Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) ESA gravitational waves 2035 Approved for development Solar Earth-trailing orbit (approx. 1 AU) [20]
Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics ESA x-ray 2037 Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point [21]
Habitable Worlds Observatory NASA Ultraviolet, Visible, Infrared 2041 early planning 'Phase 1' Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point

[22]

X-Ray Great Observatory NASA X-Ray 2047 early planning 'Phase 1' possibly Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point

[22]

Far-Infrared Great Observatory NASA Far-Infrared 2051 early planning 'Phase 1' possibly Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point

[22]

AstroSat-2 ISRO Near Ultraviolet, Far Ultraviolet, Visible TBD – Low Earth orbit [23]
ExoWorlds Mission ISRO TBD [24]
Indian spectroscopic and imaging space telescope (INSIST) ISRO TBD [24]
Galileo Solar Space Telescope INPE Visible and

ultraviolet

TBD Admission process at AEB Low Earth orbit or

Geostationary orbit

[25][26]

Merged, cancelled, or superseded space observatories

Name Agency Type Proposed
launch date 		Status Proposed location Ref(s)
X-Ray Evolving Universe Spectroscopy Mission (XEUS) ESA X-ray Merged into IXO – [27]
Constellation-X NASA X-ray –
International X-ray Observatory (IXO) NASA & ESA & JAXA X-ray No funding 2011; rebooted as ATHENA – [28]
Exoplanetary Circumstellar Environments and Disk Explorer (EXCEDE) NASA ? 2016 – Sun-synchronous Earth orbit, 2000 km [29][30]
SIM Lite Astrometric Observatory NASA ? 2015 No funding 2010 – [31]
Darwin Mission ESA ? – – Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point [32]
Terrestrial Planet Finder NASA ? TBA No funding 2011 – [33]
Dark Universe Observatory NASA ? Superseded by Roman/WFIRST Earth orbit (600 km) [34][35]
Joint Dark Energy Mission NASA & DOE ? – [36]
Astromag Free-Flyer (Particles) NASA ? 1 January 2005 – Earth orbit (500 km) [37][38]
VSOP-2 (Astro-G) (Radio) JAXA ? 2012 Cancelled 2011 – [39]
SAFIR NASA far infrared Superseded by Origins Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point ref?

Additional examples and non-space telescopes

For launch in the 2030s, NASA is evaluating four possible designs: the Origins Space Telescope, Lynx X-ray Observatory, Habitable Exoplanets Observatory (HabEx), and Large UV Optical Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR).[40]

Balloon-borne telescopes have been in use since the 1950s. A 20–30 meter balloon telescope has been suggested.[41] The balloon would be transparent on one side, and have a circular reflecting mirror on the other side.[41] There are two main designs using this principle.[41]

  • Large Balloon Reflector (LBR) (sub-orbital version)
  • Space-based Large Balloon Reflector (LBR)
    • TeraHertz Space Telescope (TST)[42]

Additional examples

8 meter segmented LUVOIR-B (formerly ATLAST) telescope
ATLAST produced several versions for the LUVOIR telescope

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The TOLIMAN mission: precision astrometry for exoplanetary discovery in the solar neighborhood". https://toliman.space/. 
  2. ↑ "China's giant Xuntian space telescope faces further delay until late 2026". 16 May 2024. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3262886/chinas-giant-xuntian-space-telescope-faces-further-delay-until-late-2026. 
  3. ↑ "NASA to Launch Israel's First Space Telescope - NASA" (in en-US). 2023-02-21. https://www.nasa.gov/general/nasa-to-launch-israels-first-space-telescope/. 
  4. ↑ "NASA Completes Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Construction". NASA. 2025-12-04. https://www.nasa.gov/missions/roman-space-telescope/nasa-completes-nancy-grace-roman-space-telescope-construction/. 
  5. ↑ "NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Roman Space Telescope". NASA (Press release). 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  6. ↑ Balzer, Ashley (9 November 2021). "NASA's Roman Mission Will Help Empower a New Era of Cosmological Discovery". NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/nasa-s-roman-mission-will-help-empower-a-new-era-of-cosmological-discovery. 
  7. ↑ "NASA Selects Gamma-ray Telescope to Chart Milky Way Evolution - NASA" (in en-US). https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-gamma-ray-telescope-to-chart-milky-way-evolution/. 
  8. ↑ "Ariel moves from blueprint to reality" (in en). https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Ariel_moves_from_blueprint_to_reality. 
  9. ↑ Berger, Eric. "Former Google CEO plans to singlehandedly fund a Hubble telescope replacement". Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/eric-schmidt-will-massively-invest-in-private-telescopes-including-hubble-replacement/. 
  10. ↑ Roy, Arpita; et al. (2026). "The Lazuli Space Observatory: Architecture & Capabilities". arXiv:2601.02556 [astro-ph.IM].
  11. ↑ "В Институте астрономии РАН заявили, что обсерваторию "Спектр-УФ" не запустят до 2030 года" (in ru). TASS. 21 December 2023. https://tass.ru/kosmos/19601327. 
  12. ↑ Zak, Anatoly (30 December 2022). "Spektr-UF | Russian ultraviolet astronomy's long road to space". RussianSpaceWeb. https://www.russianspaceweb.com/spektr_uf.html. 
  13. ↑ "New NASA Mission will Study Ultraviolet Sky, Stars, Stellar Explosions - NASA" (in en-US). https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/new-nasa-mission-will-study-ultraviolet-sky-stars-stellar-explosions/. 
  14. ↑ "The origin of the Universe will be unveiled by the LiteBIRD cryogenic satellite". Grenoble Alpes University. 3 July 2023. https://www.d-sbt.fr/en/Pages/News/2023_Thomas-Prouve.aspx. 
  15. ↑ Realini, S. et al. (2018). "Concept design of the LiteBIRD satellite for CMB B-mode polarization". Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2018: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave. Proceedings of the SPIE. 10698. p. 68. doi:10.1117/12.2313432. ISBN 978-1-5106-1949-4. 
  16. ↑ Reynolds, Christopher et al. (1 Nov 2023). "Overview of the advanced x-ray imaging satellite (AXIS)". UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XXIII. Proceedings of the SPIE. 12678. p. 49. doi:10.1117/12.2677468. ISBN 978-1-5106-6570-5. 
  17. ↑ "Physics of the Cosmos (PhysCOS)". https://pcos.gsfc.nasa.gov/news/2024/107_NASA_Selects_Probe_Explorers.php. 
  18. ↑ Cyranoski, David (9 March 2016). "Chinese gravitational-wave hunt hits crunch time". Nature 531 (7593): 150–151. doi:10.1038/531150a. PMID 26961634. Bibcode: 2016Natur.531..150C. https://www.nature.com/articles/531150a. Retrieved 23 June 2024. 
  19. ↑ Wu, Yue-Liang et al. (24 February 2021). "China's first step towards probing the expanding universe and the nature of gravity using a space borne gravitational wave antenna". Communications Physics (Nature) 4 (1): 34. doi:10.1038/s42005-021-00529-z. Bibcode: 2021CmPhy...4...34T. 
  20. ↑ "LISA | Mission Summary". ESA. 8 November 2021. https://sci.esa.int/web/lisa/-/61367-mission-summary. 
  21. ↑ "ESA Science & Technology - Mission Summary". https://sci.esa.int/web/athena/-/59896-mission-summary. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Bruce Dominey (27 January 2023). "After Webb? NASA Is Already Planning New Great Space Observatories". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucedorminey/2023/01/27/after-webb-nasa-is-already-planning-new-great-space-observatories/?sh=1519ae551b6b. Retrieved 27 January 2023. 
  23. ↑ "Isro plans to launch India's 2nd space observatory". The Times of India. 19 February 2018. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/isro-plans-to-launch-indias-2nd-space-observatory/articleshow/62975636.cms. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Victor, Joseph T. "India's Space Exploration Roadmap". 67th Session of UNCOPUOS. https://www.unoosa.org/documents/pdf/copuos/2024/Technical_Presentations/26Day/6_item_15_Updated_India_Space_Exploration_Roadmap_21_June_2024-edited_1.pdf. Retrieved 16 August 2025. 
  25. ↑ Carlesso, Franciele; Rodríguez Gómez, Jenny Marcela; Barbosa, Adriany Rodrigues; Antunes Vieira, Luis Eduardo; Dal Lago, Alisson (2022-06-24). "Solar Irradiance Variability Monitor for the Galileo Solar Space Telescope Mission: Concept and Challenges". Frontiers in Physics 10. doi:10.3389/fphy.2022.869738. ISSN 2296-424X. Bibcode: 2022FrP....10.9738C. 
  26. ↑ "ProSAME" (in pt-br). 2023-12-07. p. 2. https://observatorio.aeb.gov.br/prosame/atas/ata-de-iii-reuniao-ordinaria-07-12-2023.pdf. 
  27. ↑ "KEUS – The X-Ray Evolving Universe Spectroscopy Mission". ESA. http://www.rssd.esa.int/index.php?project=xeus. 
  28. ↑ "Official NASA IXO Home Page". NASA. http://ixo.gsfc.nasa.gov/. 
  29. ↑ "EXCEDE Home Page". University of Arizona. http://soweb.as.arizona.edu/~gschneider/EXCEDE_OVERVIEW.html. 
  30. ↑ "EXCEDE the Search for Planets". Astrobiology Magazine. 17 February 2012. http://www.astrobio.net/pressrelease/4574/excede-the-search-for-planets. 
  31. ↑ "SIM Lite JPL". NASA. http://sim.jpl.nasa.gov. 
  32. ↑ "ESA Science & Technology: Darwin". ESA. https://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/area/index.cfm?fareaid=28. 
  33. ↑ "Planet Quest: Missions – Terrestrial Planet Finder". NASA. http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/TPF/tpf_index.cfm. 
  34. ↑ "Dark Universe Observatory". Sonoma State University. http://epo.sonoma.edu/duo/index.html. 
  35. ↑ "Dark Universe Observatory – About the Launch Vehicle and Orbit". Sonoma State University. http://epo.sonoma.edu/duo/observatory/obslaunch.html. 
  36. ↑ "Destiny JDEM Mission Public Page". National Optical Astronomy Observatory. http://www.noao.edu/noao/staff/lauer/destiny.htm. 
  37. ↑ "NASA – NSSD – Spacecraft – Trajectory Details (Astromag FF)". NASA. https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=ASTRMAG. 
  38. ↑ "NASA – NSSDC – Spacecraft – Details (Astromag-F)". NASA. https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=ASTRMAG. 
  39. ↑ "VSOP-2 project". JAXA. http://www.vsop.isas.jaxa.jp/vsop2/. 
  40. ↑ Scoles, Sarah. "NASA Considers Its Next Flagship Space Telescope". https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa-considers-its-next-flagship-space-telescope/. 
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 Hall, Loura (3 May 2016). "Ballooning Expectations: New Approach for Astronomy". https://www.nasa.gov/feature/ballooning-expectations-new-approach-for-astronomy. 
  42. ↑ Dunn, Marina Madeline; Lesser, David; O'Dougherty, Stephan; Swift, Brandon; Pat, Terrance; Cortez, German; Smith, Steve; Goldsmith, Paul et al. (January 2017). "TeraHertz Space Telescope (TST)" (in en). AAS 229: 238.30. Bibcode: 2017AAS...22923830D. 
  43. ↑ "Habitable Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx)". https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/habex/. 
  44. ↑ University of Arizona (2 August 2019). "A new lens for life-searching space telescopes - University of Arizona researchers have designed a new kind of telescope that is a cheaper, lighter and more powerful option than creating telescopes using ever-larger mirrors. With a fleet of the newly designed space telescopes, they aim to scour a thousand potentially earth-like planets for signs of life.". EurekAlert!. https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-08/uoa-anl080219.php. 
  45. ↑ Apai, Dániel; Milster, Tom D.; Kim, Dae Wook; Bixel, Alex; Schneider, Glenn; Liang, Ronguang; Arenberg, Jonathan (29 July 2019). "A Thousand Earths: A Very Large Aperture, Ultralight Space Telescope Array for Atmospheric Biosignature Surveys". The Astronomical Journal 158 (2): 83. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ab2631. Bibcode: 2019AJ....158...83A. 
  46. ↑ Apai, D. (2018). "Nautilus DeepSpace Observatory: A Giant Segmented Space Telescope Array for a Galactic Biosignature Survey". Universities Space Research Association. https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/deepspace2018/pdf/3127.pdf. 
  47. ↑ "M. Wong, et al. – A Dedicated Space Observatory for Time-domain Solar System Science". https://www.lpi.usra.edu/decadal/opag/wong_PDX090727.pdf. 
  48. ↑ "Space Telescopes". http://www.spacefab.us/space-telescopes.html. 
  49. ↑ "NASA Considers Sending a Telescope to Outer Solar System - Universe Today". 19 December 2011. https://www.universetoday.com/91947/nasa-considers-sending-a-telescope-to-the-outer-solar-system/. 
  50. ↑ "ZEBRA". http://zebra.caltech.edu/. 
  51. ↑ Rabien, S.; Busoni, L.; Del Vecchio, C.; Ziegleder, J.; Esposito, S. (2024-08-23). "Membrane space telescope: Active surface control with radiative adaptive optics". Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave. Proceedings of the SPIE. 13092. pp. 148. doi:10.1117/12.3019682. ISBN 978-1-5106-7507-0. Bibcode: 2024SPIE13092E..5OR. 



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