The mission was submitted to the ESACosmic Vision M3 call for proposals,[1] and was selected, together with other three missions, for an initial Assessment Phase.[2]
On February 19, 2014, the PLATO mission was selected in favour of the other candidates in the programme, including LOFT.[3] In spite of this, LOFT has been submitted to the Cosmic Vision M4
call for proposals for a planned launch date of 2025, if selected.[4]
Mission architecture
The Large Observatory for X-ray Timing mission comprises two instruments.
Large Area Detector (LAD), a 10 m2 collimated X-ray detector
Wide Field Monitor (WFM), a coded-mask wide field X-ray monitor
The Large Area Detector (LAD) achieves an effective area of ~10 m2 (more than an order of magnitude larger than current spaceborne X-ray detectors, e.g. RXTE) in the 2-50 keV range, yet still fitting a conventional platform and small/medium-class launcher, thanks to the monolithic design of its large area Silicon Drift Detectors (SDD).
The Wide Field Monitor (WFM) is a coded mask X-ray monitor with a large field of view (observing about 50% of the sky available to the LAD at any time), and is also based on the Silicon Drift Detector technology. Its operating energy range is the same of the LAD, i.e. 2-50 keV.
