CNES coordinates Europe’s share of PRIMA, the far-infrared probe NASA has picked for a 2033 launch. France’s main piece is PRIMAger, a camera cooled to about −272 °C, built with CEA and the LAM laboratory together with partners in the Netherlands and the UK. Our take: far-infrared light shows star birth hidden in dust that even JWST cannot reach, and a French camera will be the eye.
−272 °CPRIMAger working temperature
2033planned launch