MIRI - Exoplanets in sight
MIRI - Exoplanets in sight
MIRI (Mid Infrared Instrument) was built jointly by ESA and NASA. The detectors and the associated electronics come from the USA. Europe provides the optical and mechanical components of this instrument. The German Space Agency at DLR funded the development of the instrument with 10 million euros from the National Space Programme. While all other instruments observe in the near-infrared range, MIRI is dedicated to the mid-infrared range. Among other things, MIRI will be used to study exoplanets. MIRI has an angular resolution seven times higher than the Spitzer space telescope and is also about 50 times more sensitive. However, an active cooling circuit is necessary for this instrument, as the detectors have to be cooled to six Kelvin with helium. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center are collaborating on the project, as is a European consortium of 26 nations led by the Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh, including the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg and the University of Cologne.
