Herschel and Beyond: FIR and Submillimetre Space Missions and Possible Synergies with Antarctic Astronomy

The Herschel Space Observatory is the fourth cornerstone mission in the European Space Agency (ESA) science programme, and is scheduled for launch in late 2008. It will perform imaging photometry and spectroscopy at far infrared and submillimetre wavelengths, covering approximately the 60–670 μm range. The three payload instruments are briefly described, and examples of their scientific capabilities are given from the Guaranteed Time Key Projects which have already been approved. Prospects for future far infrared/submillimetre space astronomy are briefly reviewed, and the implications for possible Antarctic facilities operating in this spectral region are discussed