LISA Pathfinder

LISA Pathfinder (formerly known as SMART-2) is an ESA mission designed to pave the way for the joint ESA/NASA Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission by testing in-flight the critical technologies required for space-borne gravitational wave detection; it will put two test masses in a near-perfect gravitational free fall, and control and measure their motion with an unprecedented accuracy. This is achieved through technology comprising inertial sensors, high-precision laser metrology, drag-free control and an ultra-precise micro-Newton propulsion system. The LISA Pathfinder mission is now in Phase C/D—the Implementation Phase, and is due to be launched in 2010, with results on the performance of the system being available within 6 months thereafter.