A report published October 7, 2026, said NASA astrophysics division director Shawn Domagal-Goldman had tied the agency’s commitment to the ESA-led LISA mission to funding remaining at current levels. He said NASA would maintain its commitment under a continuing resolution or another funding arrangement that keeps the agency at those levels.
NASA and ESA have distinct roles in LISA
The European Space Agency (ESA) leads LISA, while NASA is expected to contribute specialized hardware and ground-based data analysis. ESA is responsible for building and launching the spacecraft and operating the mission. ESA and OHB System AG signed an agreement in 2025 for OHB to finalize the spacecraft design and begin construction.
| Agency | Responsibilities in LISA |
| NASA | Reported contributions include laser transmitters and telescopes, charge-management devices, and ground-based data-analysis support. |
| ESA | Leads the mission; builds and launches the spacecraft and operates LISA. |
That division makes NASA a partner in a mission led by ESA, with the agencies contributing different parts of the work.
How LISA will measure gravitational waves
LISA is designed as three spacecraft in a triangular formation orbiting the Sun and trailing Earth. Each side of the triangle is planned to span 2.5 million kilometers. Two freely floating gold-platinum test masses inside each spacecraft will serve as reference points. Laser interferometry—the precise measurement of changes in distance using laser light—will track tiny shifts between the spacecraft.
ESA says the instrument is designed to detect distance changes of a few billionths of a millimeter across a 2.5-million-kilometer arm. The mission will study low-frequency gravitational waves, including signals from massive black-hole mergers and compact binaries.
A separate technical explainer uses orbital visualizations to explain the test masses, drag-free control, micro-propulsion, and laser links. Those systems help the spacecraft follow the motion of the freely floating test masses as they make measurements.
Funding context and the planned launch
Congress enacted a $7.25 billion appropriation for NASA’s broad Science account for fiscal year 2026. The amount covers the account, not LISA alone. The appropriations law became law on January 23, 2026.
The White House’s fiscal year 2027 budget request proposed canceling NASA’s participation in LISA. The October 2026 report of Domagal-Goldman’s statement described NASA’s commitment as dependent on funding staying at current levels.
ESA plans to launch LISA on an Ariane 6 rocket around 2035. A NASA mission notice published in December 2024 projected that science operations would begin about two years after launch.
