Current Project Status: NASA has chosen two TPF mission architecture concepts for further study and technology development. The two candidate architectures are: Infrared Interferometer: Multiple small telescopes on a fixed structure or on separated spacecraft flying in precision formation would imitate a much larger, very efficient telescope. The interferometer would utilize a technique called nulling to reduce the starlight by a factor of one million, thus enabling the detection of the very faint infrared emission from the planets. Visible Light Coronagraph: A large optical telescope, with a mirror three to four times larger and at least 10 times more precise than the Hubble Space Telescope, would collect starlight and the very dim reflected light from the planets. The telescope would have specific optics to decrease the starlight by a factor of one billion, thus enabling astronomers to detect the faint planets. These two was selected from more than a 60 possible designs. These two architectures were determined to be sufficiently realistic to warrant further study and technological development in support of a launch of Terrestrial Planet Finder. It is anticipated that one of the two architectures will be selected in 2005 or 2006 to be implemented for the mission. THE Launch is anticipated between 2012-2015. ... read more about .... extrasolar planets

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