Bengaluru astronomer Ramya Manjunath Anche to lead NASA $20 million PUFFINS space mission
Bengaluru-trained researcher Ramya Manjunath Anche heads a 40-member global team building a space telescope to study microscopic interstellar dust.
Indian scientific prowess has achieved another major milestone on the global stage, with Bengaluru-born astronomer Dr Ramya Manjunath Anche appointed to lead NASA’s $20 million PUFFINS space telescope mission.
Dr Anche, an assistant research professor at the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory, will serve as the principal investigator for the international project. Selected under NASA’s Astrophysics Pioneers programme, the mission will build and launch a specialised ultraviolet telescope to study microscopic interstellar dust particles that shape the birth of stars and planetary systems.
What is the NASA PUFFINS mission?
PUFFINS stands for Polarimetry in the Ultraviolet to Find Features in INterStellar Dust. The mission will analyze dust grains smaller than 50 nanometres — roughly the size of a common cold virus. These tiny particles dictate how light moves through deep space and carry essential signatures of galaxy evolution.
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Mission funding | $20 million |
| NASA programme | Astrophysics Pioneers |
| Principal investigator | Dr Ramya Manjunath Anche |
| Telescope diameter | 10 inches |
| Planned launch | 2030 |
| Target grain size | Under 50 nanometres |
| Team size | Around 40 scientists |
The mission centres on an optical telescope measuring 10 inches across, about the size of a dinner plate, utilizing ultraviolet spectropolarimetry. Dr Anche leads a 40-member team of engineers, graduate students, and researchers across several global institutions, including the University of Arizona and the McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas at Austin.
From Bengaluru to global space leadership
Dr Anche’s career trajectory highlights the world-class foundation built in India’s higher education and research ecosystems. Raised in Devanahalli near Bengaluru, she grew up in a family focused on science; her father, A Manjunath, worked as a soil microbiologist at the University of Agricultural Sciences in Bengaluru.
She completed her schooling at Oxford English School in Devanahalli and pre-university studies at MES Vidyasagar Prof. MPL Sastry PU College, followed by a Bachelor of Engineering degree in electrical and electronics engineering at Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology in Bengaluru.
She advanced her astrophysics training at premier Indian research centres. In 2012, she joined the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bengaluru for an integrated MTech-PhD programme in astronomical instrumentation. She followed this with a postdoctoral fellowship at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune during 2020 and 2021 before moving to the University of Arizona.
Developing the PUFFINS space telescope
While working as a postdoctoral researcher at Steward Observatory, Dr Anche designed and submitted the proposal that won NASA’s selection. The mission team has entered the early design phase, with four years allocated to construct and calibrate the instrument ahead of its planned 2030 launch.
Key numbers
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mission funding | $20 million | NASA / University of Arizona |
| Telescope optic diameter | 10 inches | University of Arizona |
| Target launch year | 2030 | NASA / University of Arizona |
| Target dust grain size | Under 50 nanometres | University of Arizona |
| Project team size | Around 40 researchers | University of Arizona |
In this story
| Name | Role in the story |
|---|---|
| Ramya Manjunath Anche | Bengaluru-born astronomer and Principal Investigator for NASA's PUFFINS mission. |
| NASA | US space agency funding the $20 million PUFFINS telescope mission under its Astrophysics Pioneers programme. |
| Bengaluru | Hometown and primary education center for Dr Ramya Manjunath Anche. |
