Queensland astrophysicists are helping lead the world's first commercial space telescope mission that could reveal the secrets of finding alien life.
The $150 million Twinkle space telescope will launch in 2024 on a seven-year mission.
Scientists will use it to study the atmospheres of planets orbiting distant stars and identify comets and asteroids in our own solar system.
"The results we get will almost definitely be the most exciting of my career," University of Southern Queensland (USQ) astrophysicist Duncan Wright said.
Search for alien life
USQ has been recently named a founding member of the science team, and Dr Wright and PhD student Nataliea Lowson will help determine the Twinkle telescope's gaze through the galaxy.
"It's very exciting because as an early career scientist I am able to be part of the decision-making in this survey," Ms Lowson said.
Dr Wright said the telescope would help scientists better understand the chemistry of exoplanet atmospheres.
The research could help in the future search for life in the galaxy.
"We'll be looking for things like the combined presence of methane and oxygen. That's not something that should normally happen in an atmosphere without the presence of biology."
The Twinkle telescope
The telescope will observe planets as far as 300 light-years, or 2.7 quadrillion kilometres, away.
It will analyse a broad range of optical and infrared wavelengths to determine the atmospheric make-up of far-flung exoplanets.
The telescope will also use that technology to reveal the composition of thousands of nearby objects in the solar system, such as comets, asteroids, and moons.
"It helps us get a better understanding of the early stages of the solar system," Ms Lowson said.
"It gives us better knowledge of the solar system and how the earth formed."
Twinkle will, for example, be able to determine the presence of water, ice, organic matter, and carbon dioxide within comets.
First commercial space telescope
The Twinkle space mission is the world's first commercial space telescope science mission.
It is being led by a private company, Blue Skies Space, in collaboration with scientists from universities across the world.
UK-based Blue Skies Space aims to disrupt the current publicly funded model for space science missions and replace it with a commercial service-based model.
"This has really allowed scientists to have the full say on what they want to do in this space mission," Ms Lowson said.
The company claims its Twinkle telescope will collect and deliver "unprecedented data" to astronomers around the world.
