A listening post above the far side of the Moon called CosmoCube is the centerpiece of a newly proposed plan to study the Cosmic Dawn—the period immediately following the Big Bang, with a particular focus on its earliest phase, known as the cosmic ‘Dark Ages.’
During this formative era of the universe, before the formation of stars and galaxies, space was dark and silent. Yet scientists believe it is still possible to probe the faint whispers from this remote epoch. Due to the overwhelming volume of radio signals and electronic interference produced by human infrastructure, astronomers are seeking a quieter location to detect these signals.
This novel approach was presented at the Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting, held in Durham, England, from July 7 to 11.
Seeking Quiet on the Far Side of the Moon
“It’s like trying to hear that whisper while a loud concert is playing next door,” said Dr Eloy de Lera Acedo, one of the scientists behind the plan. “This makes it really hard to pick up those faint signals from billions of years ago. To detect a special radio signal that comes from hydrogen – the first, most basic and most abundant chemical element – in the early universe, we need it to be quiet.”
The CosmoCube satellite mission aims to use the Moon as a natural shield against Earth-based interference, blocking radio noise to make the faintest cosmic signals easier to detect. This would provide crucial data about the Dark Ages, a poorly explored segment of the Cosmic Dawn.
“That’s why we’re proposing to send a small satellite to orbit the Moon and detect a signal which could hold clues about how everything began and how structures like galaxies eventually formed,” Dr. de Lera Acedo added.
Producing the CosmoCube
The spacecraft will be a low-cost satellite platform placed in lunar orbit, outfitted with instrumentation precisely calibrated to detect faint signals amidst the cosmic background noise. It will carry a low-power radio designed to operate at low frequencies between 10 and 100 MHz.
The UK Space Agency is funding the Cosmo Cube mission through its Science Bilateral Programme. A UK-led mission, the team comprises scientists from the University of Cambridge, the University of Portsmouth, and STFC RAL Space. With the team aiming to achieve a lunar orbit before 2030, the present outline for the CosmoCube mission extends for four to five years. The team’s current position on that timeline is in instrument testing, which is currently taking place in both laboratory and real-world environments.
Exploring the Dark Ages
“By doing this, CosmoCube aims to help us better understand how our universe transformed from a simple, dark state to the complex, light-filled cosmos we see today, with all its stars and galaxies,” said de Lera Acedo, head of Cavendish Radio Astronomy and Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. “Crucially, it will also help scientists investigate the mysterious dark matter and its role in shaping these cosmic structures.”
Among the specific questions scientists hope to explore are the Hubble tension and interactions between dark matter and baryons. The Hubble tension refers to discrepancies in measurements of the universe’s expansion rate when comparing local observations to those based on early-universe data. Dark matter–baryon interactions describe hypothetical forces between dark matter and ordinary matter beyond gravity.
While instruments like the James Webb Space Telescope have offered insights into some of the earliest cosmic structures, the Dark Ages remain largely uncharted. By examining this foundational period before starlight illuminated the universe, researchers hope to unlock a deeper understanding of dark matter and cosmic evolution.
“It’s incredible how far these radio waves have travelled, now arriving with news of the universe’s history,” said fellow CosmoCube researcher Professor David Bacon, from the University of Portsmouth. “The next step is to go to the quieter side of the Moon to hear that news.”
Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.