Lunar Far Side Mission Aims to Listen to the Universe’s First Light
Researchers plan a two‑year mission called CosmoCube, a suitcase‑sized satellite to orbit the Moon’s far side and detect the 21cm radio signal from neutral hydrogen in the early universe, using it as a thermometer to study the dark ages through the cosmic dawn and into reionization; the far side should mitigate Earth‑based interference and ionospheric noise, with a total cost under £50m and funding from the UK Space Agency, aiming for launch about five years from now.