SRON

For the future #NewAthena mission, the #XIFU instrument uses detectors cooled close to absolute zero (−273°C) to detect X-ray photons. Researchers at SRON developed a new method to calibrate thermometers at these ultra-low temperatures, improving measurement accuracy.

Women shaping space research ✨

On International Women’s Day, we highlight the work of our women colleagues at SRON. They contribute to missions tracking methane for climate action, studying rocky exoplanets and analysing X-ray spectra from black holes and galaxy clusters.

On 3 and 4 March, Amsterdam Space Symposium brought together leaders from across the space sector to discuss security and climate. Our colleague Aaldert van Amerongen spoke about turning atmospheric satellite data into real world impact.

Thank you for the inspiring discussions in Amsterdam.

Will you help advance the X-IFU for ESA’s L-class NewAthena mission?
SRON is hiring an experimental physicist in Leiden to work on cutting-edge X-ray detector technology for space. Contribute to a flagship mission and help shape the science of the hot universe.

werkenbijsron.nl/en/vacancies...

Applications for Summer School Alpbach are open until 8 March. From 14–23 July, students from ESA Member States will develop a space mission concept in Alpbach. Theme: High-energy processes in planetary systems.

Astronomer Akira Endo, working at TU Delft with SRON, is developing a method to create a 3D map of the early Universe using a chip with eighty far-infrared spectrometers. By measuring redshift, it reveals galaxy distances. Endo has received an NWO Vici grant for this research.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝘄𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗹.
This cryostat cools detectors from room temperature to below 100 millikelvin, enabling tests of devices such as Transition Edge Sensors and their SQUID readout electronics used in space instrumentation. Precision cooling is essential for space detector development.

This week, a JAXA delegation visited SRON in Leiden. Since signing an MoU last year, we have been working together on detecting greenhouse gases using GOSAT, TROPOMI and TANGO, from algorithm development to data calibration and improvement.

XRISM has mapped gas turbulence inside the Perseus galaxy cluster for the first time. Faster flows appear at the centre and outskirts, suggesting the central supermassive black hole helps keep the gas hot and prevents new stars from forming. Results published in Nature.

In a recent episode of NTR Focus, SRON explains how methane emissions are monitored from space using Sentinel-5P/TROPOMI and TANGO. Methane causes about one third of global warming, and satellites reveal major emission hotspots worldwide.

Watch via NPO Start: npo.nl/start/afspel...

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.
At SRON, collaboration drives our work. We team up with partners including @esa.int and many research institutes to develop space instruments, analyse satellite data and support missions like TROPOMI, PACE, XRISM, PLATO and TANGO.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.
SRON is advancing Kinetic Inductance Detector (KID) technology for two NASA mission candidates: PRIMA, a space observatory, and POEMM, a balloon mission flown from Antarctica.
Together, they will probe the cold clouds where stars and planets form.

𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵.
Blue Monday can feel heavy when we look at rising temperatures and extreme weather. SRON turns concern into action by developing satellite technology that monitors greenhouse gases, aerosols and climate impacts from space. Understanding Earth brings motivation change.

Yesterday, SRON hosted the Clear Air Consortium symposium on clouds and aerosols. Over sixty scientists discussed new results from the PACE and EarthCARE satellites. ClearAir unites SRON, TNO, KNMI and TU Delft to advance satellite-based atmospheric research.

PLATO has completed vibration tests at ESA’s ESTEC centre in Noordwijk ahead of its rocket launch this year. Earlier, SRON tested 11 of its 26 cameras under extreme space conditions. With a wide field of view, PLATO will study hundreds of thousands of stars to search for planets in the Milky Way.

Are there planets like Earth, orbiting stars like our Sun? From 2026, ESA’s PLATO telescope will search for answers by observing hundreds of thousands of stars. At SRON, we tested PLATO’s cameras and developed data analysis methods to help reveal how planetary systems form and how unique Earth is.

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙪𝙢 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙪𝙨 𝙖 𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙭𝙞𝙚𝙨. Researchers from SRON and TU Delft, Jochem Baselmans and Shahab Dabironezare, designed a shape that turns aluminium into a black absorber of far infrared light, advancing Kinetic Inductance Detectors for NASA’s candidate mission PRIMA.

In 𝘏𝘦𝘵 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘨𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘥, SRON scientist Otto Hasekamp explains how aerosols can cool and warm the planet by reflecting or absorbing sunlight. With SPEXone, launched in 2024, his team measures aerosols and clouds from space. Results suggest aerosol warming may be overestimated in climate models.

Near a black hole, gravity bends light by stretching spacetime itself. At SRON, we design and build X-ray detectors to study the hot gas swirling around these cosmic giants.

By analysing every single photon, we uncover how matter behaves in one of the most extreme environments in the universe. 🌌

SRON develops on-chip spectrometers that split light into precise wavelength bands. Smaller, lighter and more efficient than traditional instruments, they are ideal for future space missions. Systems like DESHIMA pave the way for new discoveries in galaxy formation and star evolution.

Space research drives discoveries out there and progress down here. At SRON, we develop satellite technology to monitor Earth’s atmosphere and greenhouse gas emissions, supporting climate action. At the same time, our innovations strengthen the Dutch high-tech sector and future space missions.

Telescope, telescope, what’s the news today?

As we look to the stars and study our own planet from above, curiosity connects us all. But during the holidays, the answers aren’t found in the stars, they’re found at home.

Warm holiday wishes from everyone at SRON. 🌟

𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

An ESA web story shows how satellite observations near Madrid help detect methane leaks from landfills, supporting cities and authorities in targeting emission hotspots and taking action.

🔗 www.esa.int/Applications...

SRON researchers co-author a new Science paper with 𝗚𝗛𝗚𝗦𝗮𝘁 showing how satellite observations can monitor methane emissions from individual facilities worldwide, delivering reliable, actionable data for climate action.

Read the 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 article here:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

In the early 2040s, the #HabitableWorldsObservatory will search for signs of life in planetary atmospheres, but the needed detectors don’t exist yet. @sronspace.bsky.social Pieter de Visser receives an #ERCConsolidatorGrant to develop KIDs.

More info: www.sron.nl/en/actueel/e...

A team led by SRON's Liyi Gu and Jelle Kaastra observed a sudden outburst near the supermassive black hole NGC 3783, reaching 20% of light speed. During ten days with mainly XRISM, they saw it form and accelerate—likely driven by untwisting magnetic field lines, similar to solar flares. ✨

𝗔 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲, 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳. 🌌

At SRON, we work on every step of the space mission cycle, from technology development and instrument design to data analysis.

Short lines between researchers, engineers and scientists keep our missions focused and moving fast. 🚀

SRON researcher Ralf Kohlhaas receives a PhotonDelta and NWO grant to develop instrumentation that measures both polarization and spectrum of light. Together with TU Delft and industry partners, the project aims to enable future aerosol measurements from space using photonic chip technology.

Euclid’s new dataset of one million galaxies shows clear evidence that galaxy mergers drive active supermassive black holes — and are even the primary trigger for the most luminous AGN.

A long-standing debate finally has strong observational support.

SRON director Michael Wise is attending the ESA Council Meeting at Ministerial Level as advisor to the Dutch government. The meeting sets member state contributions for 2026–2028. SRON provides scientific guidance for Dutch contributions to international space missions.