Where is the world's largest gravitational-wave detector in space being planned?
Quick Answer
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, or LISA, is planned as a space mission rather than a fixed place on Earth. Its spacecraft will orbit the Sun in a triangular formation millions of kilometers from Earth.
The Full Story
LISA, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, is not located at a single Earth site because it is being planned as a space-based gravitational-wave observatory. The mission will use three spacecraft forming a triangle with sides about 2.5 million kilometers long, orbiting the Sun behind Earth. By measuring tiny changes in those laser links, LISA aims to detect low-frequency gravitational waves that ground-based detectors cannot see. The mission is a major European Space Agency project and is planned for launch in the 2030s.
Key Facts
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"A triangle of spacecraft millions of kilometers wide listening for ripples in spacetime."