The Single Aperture Far-Infrared Observatory (SAFIR) is a large cryogenic space telescope envisioned as a follow-on to the Spitzer Space Telescope (Spitzer) and the Herschel Space Observatory. SAFIR will provide unprecedented sensitivity in the important range between infrared wavelengths probed with the James Webb Space Telescope, and the microwave wavelengths observable with telescopes on the ground. SAFIR will explore the formation of the first stars and galaxies in the universe's distant past, and will pierce the veils of obscuring dust to reveal planetary system formation in our own Galaxy.

The SAFIR mission is currently being studied by NASA in a collaboration between the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).


From Spitzer to Herschel and Beyond: The Future of Far-Infrared Space Astrophysics Conference