LISA: a mission to detect and observe gravitational waves

The joint ESA/NASA mission LISA is a space-borne interferometer to detect and observe gravitational wave. The scientific goals of LISA are to determine the role of massive black holes (MBH) in galaxy evolution, to perform precision tests of General Relativity, determine the poupulation of ultra-compact obejcts in the galaxy and to probe the physics of the early Universe. The LISA mission was selected as an ESA Cornerstone and is included in NASA's 'Beyond Einstein' initiative, with a launch in the 2012/2013 time frame.