Euclid Spacecraft

     

    Welcome to the Euclid Science Operations Centre

     

    Euclid is a space-borne survey mission dedicated to investigate the origin of the Universe's accelerating expansion and the nature of dark energy, dark matter and gravity. Euclid will characterise the signatures of dark energy on the 3D distribution of cosmic structures. In 2012, Euclid was approved as the second Medium Class mission (M2) in the Cosmic Vision Programme. Launch is scheduled in July 2023 with a Falcon 9 launcher.

    The mission is optimised to measure apparent shapes of galaxies, which are distorted by gravitational deflection of light due to dark matter concentrations, and to measure galaxy clustering, that is the non-random distribution of galaxies in the Universe resulting from the action of gravity. Euclid demands very high precision measurements and the ability to survey the sky at visible and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths. Such requirements cannot be met from the ground, and calls for a wide-field Visible/NIR space mission. For more information see our SciTech site, and in particular the "red book".

     

     

    Latest News

     

     

    Euclid's first images 26-Sep-2023
    Seeking Euclid's hidden stars: commissioning looks up
    The Universe doesn't give up its secrets easily. Dark energy and dark matter do not emit, absorb or reflect light, so have not yet been seen. This is why we call Euclid our cosmic detective; its goal is no less than to understand the secret structure and make-up of our Universe. Euclid's engineers and scientists have now also donned their Sherlock Holmes hats, coats and pipes, as they work on three issues that have arisen during Euclid's commissioning.
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    Euclid satellite 18-Sep-2023
    Follow Euclid's first months in space
    Follow Euclid on its journey to Lagrange point L2 and find out how mission controllers at ESOC in Darmstadt are proceeding with turning on, checking and calibrating the spacecraft's equipment, the telescope and scientific instruments, as they prepare for routine science observations.
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    Preparing for Euclid's survey 09-Aug-2023
    The Universe in a box: preparing for Euclid's survey
    ESA's Euclid mission will create a 3D-map of the Universe that scientists will use to measure the properties of dark energy and dark matter. But dealing with the huge and detailed set of novel data that Euclid observations will produce is not an easy task. To prepare for this, scientists in the Euclid Consortium have developed one of the most accurate and comprehensive computer simulations of the large-scale structure of the Universe ever produced. They named this the Euclid Flagship simulation.
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    Euclid first test images 31-Jul-2023
    Euclid First Light Images
    Explore the first images release from the Euclid space telescope. Discover the full-field-of-view and zoomed-in versions of the VIS (VISible imager) and NISP (Near-Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer) images, along with the intriguing NISP grism image. Delve into the fascinating story behind capturing these visuals, the meticulous procedures involved, and the team's dedication throughout this remarkable journey.
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    Euclid first test images 31-Jul-2023
    Euclid test images tease of riches to come
    Euclid's two instruments have captured their first test images. The mesmerising results indicate that the space telescope will achieve the scientific goals that it has been designed for - and possibly much more.
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    Euclid arrives to L2 28-Jul-2023
    Webb and Gaia welcome Euclid to L2
    In the month after its launch on 1 July, Euclid has travelled 1.5 million kilometres from Earth towards the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2, meaning it has 'arrived' at its destination orbit.

    This animation showcases the orbits of Euclid (green), the James Webb Space Telescope (blue), and the Gaia mission (yellow) around this unique position in space. The positions of the spacecraft in this animation don't correspond to their current positions in space.
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