The LISA mission: A space-based gravitational-wave observatory

In January 2024, the European Space Agency (ESA) officially approved the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, which now moves into the implementation phase. With a planned launch in 2035, LISA is envisioned as the first space-based gravitational-wave observatory, sensitive at frequencies between 100 μHz and 1 Hz, not accessible to ground-based observatories. Given the size of the project and the stringent experimental requirements (measurement of femto-g accelerations with picometer displacement sensitivity, between objects millions of kilometers away), LISA represents a complex challenge from many points of view: technological, scientific, engineering, and organizational. Here we summarize the main features of the mission, with a focus on the contribution from Italy.