The Black Hole Explorer

News (July 25, 2024): BHEX is seeking an industry partner for our SMEX mission. Please see the request for information here. Notices of Interest are due by August 1, 2024 at 5pm EDT.  

Throughout the last century of scientific discovery, as well as the history of popular culture and science fiction, black holes have been a source of fascination and mystery. One thing is certain: black holes are our best opportunity to push the boundaries of human knowledge by peering to the edge of the observable universe. In 2019, SAO captured the first-ever image of a black hole with the Event Horizon Telescope, bringing black holes’ enigmatic qualities into view. The Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) mission will launch the Event Horizon Telescope into space, moving beyond what we can observe from Earth and giving a sharp view that reveals black holes’ essential characteristics.

BHEX combines a network of dedicated partners and the latest in optical communications technology to examine never-before-seen rings of light (photon rings) predicted to exist in black holes and reveal the most basic properties of black hole (their masses and spins) by measuring dozens of supermassive black holes across the universe. These observations and measurements will expose fundamental, universal features of black holes across galaxies and provide crucial insights into what drives their creation and growth. 

We have developed the mission concept for BHEX since 2019 and will propose it as a NASA Small Explorers Mission in 2025, to launch BHEX in 2031.

To learn more, visit:  https://www.blackholeexplorer.org