Europe has embarked on a 6-year mission to explore the mysteries of the “dark universe” with the launch of the Euclid Space Telescope. The telescope was launched on July 1st at 11:12 a.m. EDT from Florida’s Space Launch Complex 40. It will take approximately four weeks to reach its destination, the Earth-Sun Lagrange point 2, which is located on the opposite side of the sun from Earth.
The Euclid Space Telescope, developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Euclid Consortium, aims to shed light on the “dark universe” dominated by dark matter and dark energy. Dark matter is believed to make up about 85% of the universe’s substance, while dark energy is thought to be responsible for accelerating the expansion of the universe.
The Euclid telescope is equipped with a mirror 1.2 meters in diameter and will measure the shapes of galaxies at various distances from Earth. It will also study the relationship between distance and redshift to better understand dark energy and dark matter. The telescope will observe the past 10 billion years, starting from when most stars and galaxies formed and when dark energy began to dominate.
Euclid will conduct its observations using its Visual Imager (VIS) and Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer and Photometer (NISP). The telescope, built by Thales Alenia and Airbus Defence and Space, stands at 4.5 meters tall and has a diameter of 3.1 meters. It has a launch mass of about 2,100 kg.
During the mission, the booster used to launch the Euclid telescope successfully landed on the drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” in the Atlantic Ocean. This booster had previously launched the second all-private crew for Axiom.
The Euclid Space Telescope represents a significant step forward in our understanding of the dark universe. By studying dark matter and dark energy, scientists hope to unravel the mysteries of the universe’s composition and evolution.
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