Being adopted means that the study phase is complete, the mission is shown to be feasible, and ESA commits to implementing it. In the upcoming development phase, the spacecraft and its scientific instrumentation will be built, integrated and extensively tested.
Arrakihs is the second ‘fast’ or F-class mission of ESA’s Cosmic Vision programme, needing less than ten years from its selection in November 2022 until launch. The decision to adopt it was made at the Science Programme Committee meeting at the Instituto Astrofísico de Canarias, Tenerife (10–11 June 2026).
“Arrakihs is a ground-breaking and unique galactic archaeology mission. By uncovering hard-to-see galaxy haloes, it will reveal new details of how galaxies form and whether the Milky Way galaxy is unique. Its rapid development showcases the flexibility and breadth of ESA’s Science Programme,” says Professor Carole Mundell, ESA’s Director of Science.
The mission name stands for Analysis of Resolved Remnants of Accreted galaxies as a Key Instrument for Halo Surveys.