With PRIMA, NASA will try to build a billion-dollar space telescope in record time
Summary
NASA has green-lit PRIMA, the first in its new Probe Explorers line, a cost-constrained infrared space telescope intended to deliver science from a smaller, shorter-development mission. The project will reuse a Webb-era cryocooler and is targeted for launch in the early 2030s, with NASA aiming to demonstrate a new balance between Explorer-class missions and flagship observatories like Habitable Worlds. The plan emphasizes budget discipline and a pipeline approach for future big observatories.