Researchers aim to study the universe’s ‘Dark Ages’ using a quiet orbit around the Moon. Their small satellite will search for ancient hydrogen signals and cosmic clues.
Astronomers hope to uncover insights about the ‘Cosmic Dawn’ by deploying a small spacecraft designed to detect an “ancient whisper” from space while orbiting the far side of the Moon.
This mission aims to investigate the universe’s infancy, shortly after the Big Bang, during a time when space remained dark and devoid of stars and galaxies.
However, exploring this cosmic ‘Dark Ages’ requires an environment free of interference. Earth, filled with atmospheric disturbances and electronic noise, poses a significant challenge for capturing such faint radio signals.
“It’s like trying to hear that whisper while a loud concert is playing next door,” said Dr Eloy de Lera Acedo, who presented the proposal at the Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting 2025 in Durham.
“This makes it really hard to pick up those faint signals from billions of years ago. To detect a special radio signal that comes from hydrogen, the first, most basic, and most abundant chemical element, in the early universe, we need it to be quiet.
“That’s why we’re proposing to send a small satellite to orbit the Moon and detect a signal which could hold clues about how everything began and how structures like galaxies eventually formed.”
CosmoCube mission design
The UK-led CosmoCube mission is designed to operate from the far side of the Moon, where the lunar body serves as a massive shield that blocks radio interference originating from Earth.
Positioned in this quiet zone, the spacecraft would be able to “listen” for an “ancient whisper” and gather valuable data about the universe’s Dark Ages and Cosmic Dawn—eras that remain mostly uncharted in modern cosmology.
“By doing this, CosmoCube aims to help us better understand how our universe transformed from a simple, dark state to the complex, light-filled cosmos we see today, with all its stars and galaxies,” said de Lera Acedo, head of Cavendish Radio Astronomy and Cosmology at the University of Cambridge.
“Crucially, it will also help scientists investigate the mysterious dark matter and its role in shaping these cosmic structures.”
Scientific goals and technology
CosmoCube will be equipped with a finely calibrated, low-power radio radiometer mounted on an affordable satellite platform designed to orbit the Moon. Operating at low frequencies (10–100 MHz), the instrument is tailored to detect exceptionally weak radio signals buried within background noise.
One of the mission’s goals is to investigate the Hubble tension—a persistent inconsistency between the universe’s expansion rate as measured from the early universe and the rate inferred from more recent, local observations.
Additionally, the data collected could offer new perspectives on dark matter-baryon interactions (non-gravitational interactions between dark matter and ordinary matter) and deepen our understanding of early-universe physics.
A rare cosmic frontier
This so-called ‘Dark Ages’ period is one of the last unexplored frontiers in observational cosmology. The pre-stellar epoch offers a pristine view into the formation of structure, the properties of dark matter, and early cosmic evolution.
“It’s incredible how far these radio waves have travelled, now arriving with news of the universe’s history,” said fellow CosmoCube researcher Professor David Bacon, from the University of Portsmouth.
“The next step is to go to the quieter side of the Moon to hear that news.”
Project timeline and collaboration
Cosmo Cube is supported under the UK Space Agency’s Science Bilateral Program and is being developed by a UK-led international consortium with researchers based at the University of Cambridge, University of Portsmouth, and STFC RAL Space.
Instrument development is well underway, with functioning lab prototypes and environmental testing taking place and key collaboration with industry partners, such as SSTL Ltd, developing the space platform and mission concept.
The team behind the project is planning for a 4–5 year roadmap to launch, with the goal of reaching lunar orbit before the end of the decade.
Meeting: National Astronomy Meeting 2025
Cosmo Cube is supported under the UK Space Agency’s Science Bilateral Program
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1 Comment
Let me see the other side of the moon!