An already fantastic adventure. After a “perfect” take-off on Saturday, Europe’s Euclid space telescope is on its way to its vantage point, from where it will attempt to shed light on one of science’s greatest enigmas, dark matter and dark energy, which constitute 95% of the universe but of which we know almost nothing.
The satellite took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 11:12 a.m. local time aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from the American company SpaceX. After separating from the rocket, it as expected emitted its first signal. The two-ton telescope will be placed 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. The scientific work should begin in about three months, once the calibration of the instruments has been completed.
Unraveling the Mysteries of Dark Energy
“It is such a joyful moment to see this mission on its way to its destination,” said Josef Aschbacher, its director general, during the live video of the European Space Agency (ESA). The takeoff was “perfect”, added Carole Mundell, director of science at ESA. “Over the next six years, we will unravel the mysteries of the dark side of the Universe. »
The probe will draw a three-dimensional map of the universe, encompassing billions of galaxies, over a portion of a third of the sky. The distant galaxies observed will make it possible to go back in time to 10 billion years ago – the time needed for their light to reach us.