COSMOCal project

Identifying the signature of primordial gravitational waves in the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) would open up unprecedented insights into the fundamental physics that governs the universe. This paramount goal drives major advances in microwave instrumentation but the promise of future CMB experiments will not simply come from more sensitive experiments. The high dynamic range of the sky emission makes data calibration a major challenge. The objective of the COSMOCal project is to place a polarized microwave source in space that will be used to calibrate measurements from large-aperture ground-based telescopes, thereby building a set of reference sources for ground and space observations with the required accuracy.

The COSMOCal collaboration brings together researchers and engineers with experience in all aspects of the project: the design and development of space instruments, ground-based microwave observations, data analysis, observational cosmology, and galactic astrophysics. Our partnership with EUTELSAT group promotes the use of commercial space platforms for scientific research purposes.