The Event Horizon Explorer mission concept

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Publication information:

Peter Kurczynski, Michael D. Johnson, Sheperd S. Doeleman, Kari Haworth, Eliad Peretz, Tirupati Kumara Sridharan, Byran Bilyeu, and al. 2022. “The Event Horizon Explorer Mission Concept”. Edited by Laura E. Coyle, Shuji Matsuura, and Marshall D. Perrin

Abstract

The Event Horizon Explorer (EHE) is a mission concept to extend the Event Horizon Telescope via an additional space-based node. We provide highlights and overview of a concept study to explore the feasibility of such a mission. We present science goals and objectives, which include studying the immediate environment around supermassive black holes, and focus on critical enabling technologies and engineering challenges. We provide an assessment of their technological readiness and overall suitability for a NASA Medium Explorer (MIDEX) class mission.