Low Earth orbit
Arrakihs
ESA astronomy mission to image the faint haloes of nearby galaxies and investigate their formation history.
In development; ESA adopted the mission on June 10, 2026.
Official mission site ↗Overview
The mission
Arrakihs (Analysis of Resolved Remnants of Accreted galaxies as a Key Instrument for Halo Surveys) will use twin binocular telescopes to observe low-surface-brightness structures around nearby galaxies, informing studies of galaxy assembly and dark matter.
Launch profile
The launch
- Launch
- Late 2030
- Launch location
- Not documented
- Launch vehicle
- Not documented
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbit
Trajectory
Mission timeline
Selected milestone
ESA mission adoption
June 10, 2026
ESA adopted Arrakihs and committed to implement the mission.
Open milestone source ↗Science
Objectives
- 01
Image faint stellar haloes around nearby galaxies to study how galaxies assemble.
- 02
Test galaxy-formation models and investigate dark matter through stellar streams.
Hardware
Spacecraft
Arrakihs spacecraft
Instruments
- Twin binocular telescope instrument
Visual archive
Gallery
One image from Arrakihs.
Verification
Community discussion
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