A new kind of astronomical telescope is on the horizon.
Called SuperBIT, the new telescope is designed to fly above 99.5% of the Earth s atmosphere, lofted via a football stadium-sized helium balloon, according to a virtual Tuesday presentation at the RAS National Astronomy Meeting (NAM 2021), which was shared with IE under embargo.
Crucially, once it s launched in April 2021, this balloon-lofted telescope could outperform the Hubble Space Telescope.
The balloon telescope can capture images with the sharpness of Hubble
The new telescope comes as a joint project between NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, and Toronto, Princeton, and Durham Universities, according to the embargoed release. It will make its operational debut in April 2022, and, once it s deployed, will return high-resolution images comparable to those of the recently-imperiled Hubble Space Telescope.
LIVE: PM Boris Johnson hails Treasury and freeport news on visit to Teesside with Chancellor
The visit comes after the confirmation that Teesside is to get freeport status and Treasury North will be based in Darlington
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The Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak are visiting Teesside following a momentous Budget for the area.
The pair will visit Teesport a day after it was confirmed that Teesside is one of eight locations that will be designated as a freeport.
A free port is an area - either a shipping port or an airport - where goods do not incur import taxes.
Now is our time : Treasury hub gives Teesside a seat at top table of Government
Leaders say Teesside s voice has been heard after Darlington beat off competition from cities including Newcastle and Leeds
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Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen says the Chancellor s landmark Budget speech gives Teesside a seat at the top table of Government .
Budget 2021
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, Peter Gibson MP for Darlington and Leader of Darlington Council Heather Scott. Picture: JASON BROWN, TVCA IN today s Budget The Chancellor announced that hundreds of Treasury jobs will be relocated to Darlington, North East businesses and leaders have reacted to the news. Newcastle, Bradford and Leeds previously made the shortlist, with hundreds of businesses and dozens of Northern MPs urging the Chancellor to bring the jobs to the Tees Valley. The move comes after Mr Sunak sought to deliver on the Government’s “levelling up” agenda with a £4 billion fund for local improvement projects and a new national infrastructure bank headquartered in the North of England.