NASA has selected the Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite (AXIS) mission as one of two Astrophysics Probe Explorers mission class for Phase A funding. The science team includes two Canadian researchers.

NASA said “each proposal team will receive $5 million to conduct a 12-month mission concept study. After detailed evaluation of those studies, NASA expects to select one concept in 2026 to proceed with construction, for a launch in 2032.” NASA has set aside $1 billion to develop the mission from whomever is selected. The other finalist is the Probe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA) mission.

According to Christopher Reynolds, Principal investigator, of the University of Maryland, the “AXIS (mission) will transform our understanding of a wide range of astrophysical systems, from the formation of supermassive black holes, to the discovery of supernova progenitors, to the characterization of solar activity on exoplanet atmospheres.”

The Canadian researchers on the mission include Daryl Haggard of the Trottier Space Institute at McGill University, and Samar Safi-Harb of the University Manitoba.

Both Haggard and Safi-Harb are part of the proposed Canadian led Cosmological Advanced Survey Telescope for Optical and uv Research (CASTOR) space telescope, a 1-meter class space telescope concept on a small satellite platform that would make a unique contribution to astrophysics by providing wide field, high-resolution imaging in the UV and optical spectral region, surpassing any ground-based optical telescope in image sharpness. That project, which the Canadian science community has been developing for years and is widely supported, is currently waiting on the government to make key decisions before it can proceed.

Commenting on the AXIS mission Haggard said, “Over the course of its mission, AXIS will focus on observing early black holes from the universe’s infancy, analyzing their origins and influence on galaxy formation. It will track down explosive transients from dying stars and stellar mergers, and assess the activity levels of nearby stars to identify potentially habitable environments.”

According to a McGill University press release, “AXIS is designed to be 10 times more sensitive than the Chandra X-ray Observatory, allowing it to peer deeper into the cosmos than ever before. By capturing X-rays emitted from hot cosmic processes, AXIS would help scientists trace the origins of galaxies and study the characteristics of early black holes.”

The AXIS Mission is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.