The challenges posed by future far-IR and sub-mm space missions: an overview

The response to the ESA Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 Call for Proposals has confirmed a strong interest in the scientific community for far-IR and sub-mm space science missions. Such missions would build on the heritage of projects such as ISO, Akari, Planck, Herschel and Spitzer, with even more demanding requirements and ambitious science goals. The paper, based on the results obtained during two ESA Technology Reference Studies, analyses the requirements of mission studies such as the Far IR Interferometer and the Cosmic Microwave Polarisation Mapper, identifying the main technical challenges and critical technology developments required in order to achieve an adequate level of technology readiness in the future.