Tiny satellite will use the dark side of the Moon as a shield

A UK-developed satellite called CosmoCube, about the size of a carry-on suitcase, will use the far side of the Moon as a shield to detect a faint signal called the 21-centimetre line from the early universe's "cosmic dark ages"—the roughly 150 million years before the first stars formed. By positioning itself behind the Moon to block Earth's radio interference and ionospheric noise, CosmoCube will collect data over a two-year mission to help scientists understand how the universe evolved from dark and nearly empty to its current complexity. The mission, funded by the UK Space Agency, aims to launch within the next five years.