News Archive 2023
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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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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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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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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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11-Jul-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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01-Jul-2023
Launch broadcast replay
Watch a replay of the launch broadcast for ESA's Euclid.
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01-Jul-2023
ESA's Euclid lifts off on quest to unravel the cosmic mystery of dark matter and dark energy
ESA's Euclid spacecraft lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, USA, at 17:12 CEST on 1 July 2023. The successful launch marks the beginning of an ambitious mission to uncover the nature of two mysterious components of our Universe: dark matter and dark energy, and to help us answer the fundamental question: what is the Universe made of?
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How to follow the Euclid launch live
ESA will be broadcasting live as the Euclid space telescope, which will explore the dark Universe, is targeted to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA, at 11:11 local time / 15:11 UTC / 17:11 CEST on Saturday 1 July 2023. A back-up launch date of Sunday 2 July 2023 is foreseen.
Here's how to follow the launch online.
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30-Jun-2023
Euclid: preparing for launch
ESA's mission Euclid is getting ready for lift-off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA, with a target launch date of 1 July 2023.
Between 23 and 28 June, Euclid was mounted atop the Falcon 9 adaptor, encapsulated in the rocket fairing, and transported to the Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40). These photos capture the key milestones in this process.
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29-Jun-2023
Euclid: Ready for launch
ESA's Euclid space telescope is nearly ready for launch. The spacecraft arrived in Florida on 30 April for final tests and checks, and now being integrated with the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will carry it into space.
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29-Jun-2023
Last glimpse of Euclid on Earth
On 27 June, this last glimpse of ESA's Euclid space telescope was caught right before it was encapsulated by a SpaceX Falcon 9 fairing, meaning that the nose of the rocket was installed over the spacecraft.
Euclid is 4.7 m tall and 3.7 m in diameter, fitting nicely in the Falcon 9 fairing with height of 13.1 m and width of 5.2 m.
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27-Jun-2023
Euclid ready for Falcon 9
After being secured to the SpaceX Falcon 9 adaptor, on Friday 23 June, Euclid was mounted on top of the Payload Attach Fitting (PAF). Before launch, Euclid on the PAF will be encapsulated in the Falcon 9 rocket. ESA's new cosmological mission Euclid is getting ready for lift-off with a target launch date of 1 July 2023 from Cape Canaveral in Florida (USA).
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26-Jun-2023
Euclid meets Falcon 9 adaptor
On Friday 23 June, Euclid was secured to the adaptor of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Engineers fastened the satellite to the adaptor that will be placed on the upper stage of the Falcon 9 rocket, which will launch Euclid into space. ESA's new cosmological mission Euclid is getting ready for lift-off with a target launch date of 1 July 2023 from Cape Canaveral in Florida (USA).
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21-Jun-2023
Euclid launch date announced
Euclid will be launched on Saturday, 1st July 2023
ESA and SpaceX are targeting 11:12 a.m. EDT (17:12 CEST, 15:12 UTC) Saturday, July 1, with a backup date on Sunday, July 2, to launch ESA's Euclid mission from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the Earth-Sun Lagrange point 2 (L2) on a SpaceX Falcon 9.
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19-Jun-2023
Euclid fuelled for launch
ESA's Euclid gets fuelled inside an Astrotech facility near Cape Canaveral in Florida (USA) ahead of its launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9.
The Euclid spacecraft is supplied with two types of propellant: hydrazine and gaseous nitrogen. Ten hydrazine thrusters will provide chemical propulsion to complete the journey to Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2, perform monthly manoeuvres to stay in orbit, and dispose of the spacecraft at the end of the mission's life.
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19-Jun-2023
Euclid: ESA's mission into the unknown
ESA's Euclid mission is designed to bring the dark side of the Universe to light. Based on the way galaxies rotate and orbit one another, and the way in which the Universe is expanding, astronomers believe that two unseen entities dominate the composition of our cosmos. They call these mysterious components dark matter and dark energy, yet to date we have not been able to detect either of them directly, only inferring their presence from the effects they have on the Universe at large.
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26-May-2023
Frequently asked questions about Euclid
Why are we interested in dark matter and dark energy? What can Euclid do that the James Webb Space Telescope cannot? What will Euclid's image quality be? Why must Euclid observe so many (billions of) galaxies?...
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16-May-2023
Euclid launch kit
View or download this interactive launch kit to learn more about the Euclid mission and its science goals.
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03-May-2023
Euclid arrives at launch site
ESA's Euclid spacecraft finished its ocean cruise safe and sound on 30 April at Port Canaveral in Florida. Subsequently, the satellite was moved by road to the Astrotech facility near Cape Canaveral.
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19-Apr-2023
Smooth sailing, Euclid
The Euclid satellite embarked on the next leg of the 1.5 million km long journey to space from where it will unlock the mysteries of the dark Universe.
Following extensive environmental and mechanical tests at Thales Alenia Space's plant in Cannes, the Euclid satellite was transported by exceptional convoy to the port of Savona, Italy, on 14 April. Read more
04-Apr-2023
Top five mysteries Euclid will help solve
Peering into the Universe beyond our galaxy, Euclid will try to untangle the mysteries of the cosmic web, and how invisible dark matter and exotic dark energy influence the structure and the course of the cosmos.
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02-Feb-2023
Euclid’s treasure trove
Euclid was primarily designed to study the composition and evolution of the Universe at the largest scales. However, Euclid's unprecedented survey will also be a treasure trove of information about the physics of individual stars and galaxies.
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02-Feb-2023
The dark Universe
The Euclid mission aims to uncover the mysteries of the dark Universe. This ominous-sounding invisible part of the cosmos makes up more than 95% of the mass and energy in our Universe. But what is it?
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02-Feb-2023
Euclid's instruments
To map the Universe and see how it evolved over time, Euclid examines light from distant galaxies using two scientific instruments on board, VIS and NISP.
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