---
title: Merging black holes
date: 2024-09-23T17:55:00+02:00
author: Fabienne Kiener
canonical_url: "https://www.innovationparkzurich.com/en/merging-black-holes"
section: Content Pages
---
# Merging black holes

**Credits: Bohn, Throwe, Hébert, Henriksson, Bunandar, Taylor, Scheel/SXS**

In 2015, the LIGO experiment confirmed the existence of gravitational waves, a prediction from Einstein's Theory of General Relativity. This discovery solved a long-standing mystery and showed that mass and energy not only bend space-time but can also create ripples that move at the speed of light and are detectable billions of light-years away.

Building on this, the European Space Agency (ESA) approved the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission. This will be the first space-based mission to detect gravitational waves, using laser interferometry between three satellites 2.5 million kilometers apart. The mission aligns with the ESA's 2013 goal to explore the "invisible universe."