On the first day of July 2023, the Euclid spacecraft, managed by the European Space Agency (ESA), began its journey into space. Thanks to a successful launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the spacecraft is now set to investigate the enigmatic constituents of the universe – dark matter and dark energy. Credit: SpaceX
The takeoff of the Euclid spacecraft aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, USA, took place at 11:12 a.m. EDT. This successful mission kickstarts an explorative journey aimed at demystifying dark matter and dark energy – the elusive components of our Universe. This will help answer one of the most fundamental questions: what is the Universe made of?
Post-launch and rocket separation, a signal from Euclid was confirmed by ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, via the New Norcia ground station in Australia at 17:57 CEST (11:57 a.m. EDT).
ESA’s Euclid spacecraft, launched successfully on July 1, 2023, embarks on a mission to unravel the mysteries surrounding dark matter and dark energy in the Universe. Euclid will generate a precise 3D map of the Universe by observing billions of galaxies and using sophisticated scientific tools to analyze these galaxies. The mission is expected to last six years and offer a comprehensive sky survey. Credit: SpaceX
“The Euclid launch signifies the commencement of a scientific voyage set to answer some of the most intriguing questions of contemporary science,” says ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher. “Euclid’s realization has been possible due to ESA’s leadership, the skill and expertise of hundreds of European industrial and scientific institutions, and through cooperation with international partners. The search for answers to fundamental questions about our universe is an innate human curiosity and often acts as a catalyst for scientific progress and the development of groundbreaking technologies. ESA is dedicated to broadening Europe’s ambitions and successes in space for the future generations.”
The new astrophysics mission of the ESA, Euclid, lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA, at 11:12 a.m. EDT on July 1, 2023. Euclid is now set to travel to the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2, 1.5 million kilometers away from Earth, in the direction opposite to the Sun. Credit: ESA – S. Corvaja
Giuseppe Racca, ESA’s Euclid Project Manager, comments, “The Euclid mission has been made possible by the passion, expertise, and determination of those who contributed to the design and construction of this advanced space telescope, the skills of our flight operations team, and the curiosity of the scientific community. Despite several challenges, we have managed to reach this launch milestone successfully, thanks to our partners in the Euclid Consortium and NASA.”
The Euclid Consortium contributed the two highly sophisticated scientific instruments – the visible-wavelength camera (VIS) and the Near-Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer (NISP). Detectors for NISP were provided by NASA.
Euclid, operated by ESA, will scrutinize visible and infrared light from distant galaxies using two onboard scientific instruments. These instruments will measure the precise position and shapes of galaxies in visible light, and their redshift (from which their distance can be calculated) in the infrared light. This information will enable scientists to construct a 3D map of the distributions of both the galaxies and the dark matter in the Universe. The map will depict the evolution of large-scale structures over time, tracing the role of dark energy.
The VISible instrument (VIS) will capture extremely detailed images of galaxies over a significantly larger portion of the sky than possible from Earth. These observations will be used to measure the shapes of over a billion galaxies.
As the name suggests, VIS collects visible light. It can detect wavelengths from green (550 nanometers) up to near infrared (900 nm). The instrument uses a mosaic of 36 CCDs (Charge Coupled Devices, a type of camera sensor), each with over 4000 by 4000 pixels. This provides the detector with a total of about 600 megapixels, equivalent to almost seventy 4K resolution screens.
The Near-Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer (NISP) is dedicated to making spectroscopic measurements of galaxies. This involves determining the amount of light they emit per wavelength, which is useful for measuring the galaxies’ redshift. This information allows cosmologists to estimate the distance to each galaxy. NISP, which has the largest field of view for an infrared instrument ever launched into space, measures near-infrared light (900–2000 nm) using a grid of 16 detectors, each containing more than 2000 by 2000 pixels.
Credit: ESA
Euclid will observe billions of galaxies up to 10 billion light-years away to generate the largest, most precise 3D map of the Universe, with the third dimension signifying time itself. This intricate chart of the shape, position, and movement of galaxies will disclose the distribution of matter across huge distances and how the Universe’s expansion has evolved over cosmic history. This will empower astronomers to infer the properties of dark energy and dark matter, leading to improved understanding of gravity and the nature of these elusive entities.
ESA’s Director of Science, Carole Mundell, states, “Today we celebrate the successful launch of a groundbreaking mission that propels Europe to the forefront of cosmological studies. To understand the Universe we inhabit, it’s crucial to unravel the nature of dark matter and dark energy and understand their role in shaping our cosmos. Euclid will deliver the most detailed map of the extragalactic sky, providing invaluable data for the scientific community to investigate many other aspects of astronomy for many years to come.”
Euclid’s mission, operated by ESA, is to uncover the properties and effects of the elusive dark matter and dark energy, entities believed to dominate the universe’s composition but yet to be directly detected. Euclid will construct a 3D map of the Universe, using time as the third dimension, by observing billions of galaxies up to 10 billion light-years away. This expansive mapping will assist scientists in charting the position and velocity of galaxies across massive distances and throughout cosmic history, offering insights into the Universe’s expansion over time. Credit: ESA
To accomplish its ambitious scientific objective, Euclid is equipped with a 1.2 m reflecting telescope that feeds the two innovative scientific instruments: VIS, which captures extremely sharp images of galaxies over a large portion of the sky, and NISP, which analyzes galaxies’ infrared light by wavelength to precisely determine their distance.
Control of the spacecraft and communication will be maintained from ESOC. To manage the vast amounts of data that Euclid will collect, ESA’s Estrack network of deep space antennas has been upgraded. This data will be analyzed by the Euclid Consortium – a team of more than 2000 scientists from over 300 institutes across Europe, the US, Canada, and Japan.
Like other ESA missions, data from the spacecraft will reach ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Germany via ground stations across the globe. The raw data are then transmitted to the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) in Spain. From ESAC, the data are distributed to the processing centers of the Science Ground Segment of the Euclid Consortium, based in various European states and the USA. The Euclid Consortium (EC) is an organization that brings together more than 2000 researchers in theoretical physics, astrophysics, and space astronomy, along with engineers, technicians, and administrative staff. It was chosen by ESA as the single official scientific consortium responsible for the scientific instruments, the data production, and leading the scientific exploitation of the mission until completion.
Euclid’s treasure trove of data will be released with an annual rhythm and will be accessible to the global scientific community via the Science Archive hosted at ESA’s European Space Astronomy Centre in Spain.
“The launch of Euclid, on a mission to solve the puzzle of dark matter and dark energy, is a significant moment for science that we have eagerly awaited,” says René Laureijs, ESA’s Euclid Project Scientist. “The big mystery of the fundamental constituents of the Universe is staring us in the face, presenting a formidable challenge. Thanks to its advanced telescope and powerful scientific instrumentation, Euclid is positioned to help us solve this mystery.”
ESA’s Euclid will orbit the second Lagrange point (L2), 1.5 million kilometers from Earth in the opposite direction to the Sun. L2 is an equilibrium point of the Sun-Earth system that follows Earth around the Sun. In its orbit at L2, Euclid’s sunshield can always block the light from the Sun, Earth, and Moon while pointing its telescope towards deep space, ensuring a high level of stability for its instruments. At L2, Euclid joins ESA’s Gaia mission and the ESA/NASA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, which are also orbiting around this equilibrium point, each following well-separated trajectories. Credit: ESA
In the next four weeks, Euclid will travel towards Sun-Earth Lagrange point 2, an equilibrium point of the Sun-Earth system located 1.5 million km from Earth (about four times the Earth-Moon distance) in the direction opposite from the Sun. There, Euclid will be maneuvered into orbit around this point and mission controllers will commence activities to verify all the functions of the spacecraft, check out the telescope, and finally turn on the scientific instruments.
Scientists and engineers will then engage in an intense two-month phase of testing and calibrating Euclid’s scientific instruments and preparing for routine observations. Over six years, Euclid will survey one-third of the sky with unprecedented accuracy and sensitivity.
About Euclid
Euclid is a European mission, built and operated by ESA, with contributions from NASA. The Euclid Consortium is responsible for providing the scientific instruments and scientific data analysis. ESA selected Thales Alenia Space as the prime contractor for the construction of the satellite and its service module, with Airbus Defence and Space chosen to develop the payload module, including the telescope. NASA provided the detectors for the Near-Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer, NISP. Euclid is a medium-class mission in ESA’s Cosmic Vision Programme.
Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Euclid Spacecraft Mission
What is the main goal of the Euclid Spacecraft Mission?
The primary goal of the Euclid Spacecraft Mission is to investigate and understand the nature of two enigmatic components of our Universe: dark matter and dark energy. The mission seeks to answer fundamental questions about the Universe’s composition and its evolution over time.
What will the Euclid Spacecraft do to achieve its mission?
Euclid will observe billions of galaxies up to 10 billion light-years away. It will use its innovative scientific instruments to capture detailed images and measure the redshift (and hence distance) of these galaxies in order to create the most accurate 3D map of the Universe to date.
Who is responsible for the Euclid mission?
The Euclid mission is an initiative of the European Space Agency (ESA), with contributions from NASA and the Euclid Consortium. The consortium comprises more than 2000 researchers and engineers from more than 300 institutes across Europe, the US, Canada, and Japan.
What role does SpaceX play in the Euclid mission?
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was used to successfully launch the Euclid spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, USA.
Where will Euclid operate in space?
Euclid will orbit the second Lagrange point (L2), 1.5 million kilometers from Earth in the opposite direction to the Sun. This equilibrium point in the Sun-Earth system allows the spacecraft to maintain a stable orientation, always blocking the Sun, Earth, and Moon with its sunshield while its telescope points towards deep space.
How will the data from the Euclid mission be used?
The data collected by Euclid will be analyzed to understand the distribution and evolution of matter in the Universe, infer properties of dark energy and dark matter, and study the role of gravity. The data will be released annually and made accessible to the global scientific community for further studies and research.
More about Euclid Spacecraft Mission
- European Space Agency – Euclid Mission
- NASA’s Partnership with ESA’s Euclid Mission
- SpaceX Falcon 9
- Understanding Dark Matter and Dark Energy
- The Role of the Lagrange Points in Space Exploration
- Thales Alenia Space
- Airbus Defence and Space
