Speaker
Description
The ongoing and upcoming space-based planet survey missions, such as TESS, PLATO, and ET, are expected to discover thousands of small- to medium-sized planets via the transit method, including over 100 potentially habitable rocky planets. To further study these terrestrial planets, especially those with lower temperatures and wider orbits, the exoplanetary science community has proposed various follow-up missions. However, none of these missions will possess the capability to comprehensively characterize the atmospheres of Earth-like planets in habitable zones or detect potential biosignatures. China is funding a concept study for Tianlin, a 6+ meter class UV to NIR space telescope, projected to begin operations around 2035+ with a mission lifespan exceeding 10 years. Tianlin's primary goal will be the characterization of rocky planets in the habitable zones of nearby stars, with a focus on identifying possible biosignatures. Additionally, this mission aims to significantly enhance our understanding of exoplanet populations, nearby galaxies, and the early universe. In this talk, we will present an overview of the Tianlin mission concept and outline the baseline requirements for the telescope and instruments, informed by our preliminary simulations. We invite international collaborations from across hardware, software, and scientific research to contribute to this groundbreaking endeavor.
