Dutch Researchers to Build Ultra-Sensitive Sensors for NASA Space Telescope
Delft, Thursday, 24 September 2026.
TU Delft and SRON will develop core sensors for NASA’s PRIMA telescope, utilizing a cooled mirror to achieve unprecedented sensitivity up to 100,000 times greater than previous missions.
The Frontier of Space Photonics
This groundbreaking space exploration technology falls squarely within the domain of photonics and advanced sensor engineering [GPT]. Rather than relying on traditional semiconductor electronics or quantum computing architectures, the innovation centers on manipulating and detecting far-infrared photons using highly specialized superconducting sensors [1][3][GPT]. By capturing light at these specific wavelengths, researchers can bypass cosmic dust clouds to observe celestial phenomena that have long remained invisible [3].
Unprecedented Sensitivity and Cosmic Insights
The primary benefit of this photonics innovation is its unprecedented measurement sensitivity. Historically, far-infrared astronomy has faced a major barrier: because far-infrared light is essentially heat radiation, an uncooled telescope mirror quickly blinds its own camera [3]. To solve this, NASA’s Far-Infrared Probe for Astrophysics (PRIMA) space telescope—officially selected as a Probe mission in September 2026—will feature the first-ever actively cooled mirror operating at an ultra-cold 4.5 Kelvin [1][3]. This extreme cooling reduces thermal noise to near-zero levels [1][3].
Redefining Space Observations
By pairing this chilled mirror with ultra-sensitive Dutch detectors, PRIMA achieves an observational capacity that is 1,000 to 100,000 times more sensitive than its predecessor missions [1][3]. In practice, this allows the telescope to image far-infrared sources that are thousands of times fainter, or alternatively, complete its observations 1,000 to 100,000 times faster than previous instruments [1][3]. Astronomers will utilize these capabilities to study how the very first galaxies formed, how supermassive black holes interact with their hosts, and how planets and their atmospheres develop [3].
How Kinetic Inductance and Rainbow Filters Work
The core of the telescope’s PRIMAger instrument consists of two detection systems: a polarization camera and a hyperspectral imager [1]. The primary detection technology relies on Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs) developed by SRON and TU Delft, which are sensitive enough to measure the faint cosmic background radiation of the universe [3]. To distinguish different wavelengths without adding heavy optical components, SRON and the University of Groningen (RUG) are developing a Linear Variable Filter (LVF) [1][3].
A Collaborative Triumph in Deep-Tech
The LVF acts as a physical ‘rainbow filter’ that allows different shades of far-infrared light to pass through specific detector locations [3]. This replaces bulky prisms or gratings, significantly reducing the overall volume and weight of the flight hardware [1][3]. The development is led by a specialized Dutch consortium consisting of TU Delft, SRON (Netherlands Institute for Space Research), and the University of Groningen (RUG) [1][3]. This partnership leverages 15 years of collaborative experience and prior mission concept technology to support the system design, integration, and testing of PRIMAger ahead of its scheduled launch in 2033 to Lagrange point L2 [1][3].