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Infrared space telescope SPICA has advanced to the final selection round for a medium class mission (M5) of the European Space Agency ESA. The SPICA consortium and ESA will now fully work out the proposal, which was submitted under SRON leadership in close collaboration with Japan (JAXA). If the mission is picked out of the final three candidates, expected in 2021, SPICA will map the origin and evolution of galaxies, from ten billion years ago until now. Astronomers will also use the telescope to study the conditions required for the birth of planetary systems similar to our own Solar System.
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