(Boursier.com) — The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Euclid science probe was successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center. A high precision 1.2m diameter telescope and payload module designed and built by Airbus will allow Euclid to explore the composition and evolution of the Dark Universe, including the role of dark matter and dark energy.
Built by Thales Alenia Space for ESA, Euclid will collect very high resolution images of the sky in visible and infrared wavelengths. In 6 years of observation, covering more than a third of the sky, Euclid will measure the shape and distances of more than a billion galaxies. “Euclid is another world-class space mission that will help humanity understand the structure and evolution of the Universe. It is the largest telescope with the highest optical performance ever designed and integrated by Airbus, which testifies to the skills and expertise of our team in charge of space instruments”, comments Jean-Marc Nasr, director of Airbus Space Systems.
Euclid will create a map of the structure of the Universe and study how the Universe has expanded and how the structure has formed over cosmic history, thus revealing the role of gravity and dark energy. Euclid will also examine the effects of “gravitational lensing”, a gravitational effect that distorts the shapes of images of distant galaxies due to the presence of dark matter between Earth and those galaxies. It will thus make it possible to map the distribution of dark matter in the Universe with unprecedented precision.
The silicon carbide (SiC) telescope will have to operate in extreme cold conditions around 100 kelvins (-170oC). It builds on Airbus’ cutting-edge expertise in silicon carbide technology for space, which has already been proven in orbit on ESA’s Herschel and Gaia missions.
Remember that Euclid is a “medium mission” of ESA’s Cosmic Vision program. Thales Alenia Space was the industrial prime contractor for the satellite and Airbus was responsible for the payload, of which the telescope is the main instrument. Euclid will reach operational orbit around the L2 Lagrange point 4 weeks after launch, at which time testing will begin, with full operations expected to begin after three months.
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