ESA Euclid Space Telescope

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The Euclid space telescope is coming together
09/07/2020
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ESA / Science & Exploration / Space Science
ESA’s Euclid mission has reached another milestone on its journey towards launch. Its two instruments are now built and fully tested. These have been delivered to Airbus Defence and Space in Toulouse, France, where they are now being integrated with the telescope to form the mission’s payload module.

Euclid consists of a 1.2-metre mirror telescope that is designed to work at both visible and near-infrared wavelengths – the latter being just longer than the red light humans can see. The telescope will collect light from distant cosmic objects and feed it into two instruments.

The Visible instrument (VIS) and the Near Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer (NISP) will run in parallel, recording data simultaneously from whatever portion of the sky the telescope is pointed at.

Euclid’s mission is to measure the shapes of more than a billion galaxies, and the accurate redshifts of tens of millions of galaxies across more than one third of the sky. The redshift is an effect caused by the expansion of the Universe. It stretches the wavelength of light emitted by distant galaxies; the further away the galaxy, the more extreme its redshift. The galaxies in Euclid’s survey will span 10 billion years of cosmic history, and allow scientists to investigate the mysterious dark matter and dark energy that are thought to dominate the Universe.

The VIS instrument will handle the precise measurement of galaxy shapes by taking the very best images of distant galaxies that it possibly can. To do this, the instrument uses a mosaic of 36 CCDs, each of which contains 4000 pixels by 4000 pixels. This gives the detector a total of about 600 megapixels.

“The design, development, manufacturing, testing and calibration of the VIS instrument over a dozen years to a stringent specification has been a challenge,” says Mark Cropper, VIS instrument Lead and Professor at the UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UK.

“We are immensely proud of what the VIS Team has achieved to bring this project to its culmination. That the final performance exceeds our expectations is a tribute to their expertise, dedication and professionalism.”

www.esa.int

The Euclid space telescope is coming together

ESA’s Euclid mission has reached another milestone on its journey towards launch. Its two instruments are now built and fully tested. These have been delivered to Airbus Defence and Space in Toulouse, France, where they are now being integrated with the telescope to form the mission’s payload...
www.esa.int
 
ESA plans to launch this telescope in 2022. Even though the Euclid space telescope is in development yet, it already may be considered an important achievement. I hope that its launch will go well and engineers will achieve their aim. The understanding of dark energy and dark matter is essential for the future of space exploration.
 
Euclid spacecraft grows as eyes meet brain
30/03/2022 428 views 3 likes
ESA / Science & Exploration / Space Science

ESA is now one step closer to unveiling the mysteries of the dark Universe, following the coming together of two key parts of the Euclid spacecraft – the instrument-carrying payload module and the supporting service module.

On 24 March, over a dozen engineers gathered at Euclid industrial prime contractor, Thales Alenia Space in Turin, to carefully attach the two main parts of the Euclid spacecraft together. This task required such extreme precision that it took a whole day, followed by two days of connecting electronic equipment and testing that Euclid’s instruments still work.

“It was really exciting to see the spacecraft coming together and get one step closer to seeing the mission become a reality. I almost feel like we have united two family members,” says Euclid Assembly, Integration and Testing engineer Hans Rozemeijer.


Provided by Airbus Defence and Space, Euclid’s payload module houses a reflecting telescope to capture and focus light from distant stars, as well as two instruments to record this light – the VISible imager (VIS) and the Near Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer (NISP).

Together, the telescope and instruments will image billions of galaxies with unrivalled accuracy to help astronomers better understand how they have evolved and clustered into cosmic structures over the last 10 billion years. This will give us clues on the nature of the enigmatic dark matter and dark energy, the two main drivers of the expansion of the Universe.

Euclid’s instruments were integrated onto the payload module at the end of 2020. During 2021, the complete module successfully passed intensive testing under simulated space conditions to check that the telescope and instruments work as expected.

The service module is equally as important. It contains computers to control the instruments as well as all the essential parts that Euclid needs to function, including subsystems to control the orientation of the spacecraft, propel it through space, distribute power, communicate with Earth, and handle data transfer.

To connect the two modules together, engineers used a crane to lower the 800-kilogram payload module onto the service module via six attachment points. The team took great care to make sure that these points matched up very well, as a poor contact could induce stresses that damage the structure or deform Euclid’s 1.2-metre telescope mirror.

“We had to make sure that the flatness of the service module closely matched the flatness of the payload module at the connection points to reduce the loads on the telescope as much as possible,” explains Hans. “We were targeting a difference of less than 50 microns at every point. It’s not like a piece of Ikea furniture that you can hammer into place – this task required extreme precision!”

To put this into perspective, 50 microns – or 0.05 mm – is the diameter of a thin human hair. Before attaching the two modules together, the assembly team checked the smoothness of the connection points with a laser and used very thin spacers called shims to even out the surfaces where needed.

Hans continues: “After the modules were joined mechanically, we added connector brackets and plugged in the electrical connectors. Then we checked that everything was working properly. Finally, we covered the connector brackets and any tiny remaining gaps between the two modules with thermal insulation to really seal up the spacecraft.”

“The Euclid spacecraft is truly complex and during the past months all the people involved in its integration were asked to be highly performant in meeting challenging schedule and operations. Let me thank the team of Thales Alenia Space and our industrial partners for the remarkable job done in full synergy with ESA representatives to reach this important milestone,” says Paolo Musi, Director of Science Programs at TAS.

In April engineers will attach Euclid to its combined sunshield and solar panels. The sunshield will shade the payload module from the Sun’s intense radiation, helping the mission perform to the very best of its abilities.

Once the sunshield is connected, the high gain antenna will be added and then Euclid will be complete. The finished spacecraft will measure about 4.5 metres tall and 3.1 metres wide. After that Euclid will be tested as a complete system and prepared for launch from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
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Euclid spacecraft grows as eyes meet brain

www.esa.int

www.esa.int

Euclid animation - 360 degree view

www.esa.int

www.esa.int

Euclid spacecraft grows as eyes meet brain

ESA is now one step closer to unveiling the mysteries of the dark Universe, following the coming together of two key parts of the Euclid spacecraft – the instrument-carrying payload module and the supporting service module.
www.esa.int
 
Will the Ukraine war force ESA to pass on Arianespace, use SpaceX?

The key question is how the F9 launch vibration spectrum (which may affect Euclid’s delicate instruments) differs from Ariane/Soyuz. SpaceX has indicated that it will undertake a feasibility study of launching Euclid on Falcon 9 and that this study could be completed by the end of the summer, with a possible launch date as early as Q4 2023.

The 22-nation European Space Agency manages Euclid. The scientific and financial advantages of launching a flagship European scientific mission on a Falcon rocket seem to be growing by the day. For ESA member states who have invested heavily in European launch infrastructure, sending Euclid to L2 on a Falcon 9 may not be an easy path to take. But for myself and many of my colleagues who have worked on the satellite for more than a decade, we would prefer Euclid to be launched sooner rather than later, even if it means launching on a Falcon 9.

Euclid’s launch vehicle will be decided in November. Choosing SpaceX looks increasingly like a decision that maximizes the return on the enormous scientific investment made in the mission over the past decade. And it is also the cheapest, an important consideration in our era of rapidly diminishing science budgets.
Click to expand...
 
Translation:

European scientists run out of solutions to send the Euclid telescope into orbit​

Click to expand...
The queue to take advantage of a space ticket continues to grow in Europe. Since Soyuz is no longer an option since the invasion of Ukraine, satellites and probes are waiting for Ariane 6. The Euclid telescope, in particular, could remain stuck on the ground for almost two more years.

Astrophysicists see their project completed, but at a standstill.

Do without Soyuz

Compared to the many Russian announcements or threats about the future of the International Space Station, the sanctions and counter-sanctions concerning Soyuz launchers sent from the Guyanese Space Centre (CSG) have been somewhat forgotten. Indeed, two days after the invasion of Ukraine, Roscosmos announced the repatriation of his teams who were in Guyana as well as the end of the take-offs of the iconic Russian launcher

Immediately, European officials announced that they were looking for alternatives, but six months later, they have not yet materialised. Several Soyuz launches were planned since the CSG this year, in particular as part of the Galileo program (two pairs of satellites), but also in the French Defence service with the CSO-3 "spy" satellite... Others were also planned for 2023, in particular in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) to send the EarthCare terrestrial observation satellite, the Sentinel-1C radar satellite, Since February, in public and behind the scenes, each team has therefore been looking for the least penalising solution.
Click to expand...
However, there are not many options for sending a telescope like Euclid into orbit. Already, a change of launcher involves additional work, because the flight profile and associated constraints (vibrations, shooting duration, ejection point to reach the Lagrange Earth-Sun point L2) will change.

In reality, if ESA sticks to its own specifications, it must use a European launcher, i.e. Ariane 6. Except for one problem: the rocket is not available today, nor will it be on time to replace Soyuz. The inaugural take-off of Ariane 6 is now more or less scheduled for the first half of 2023. No precise date has been announced, institutions and manufacturers are waiting for the results of the current combined testing campaign, which will continue for several months. And yet, we should not expect a host of take-offs of the new launcher in its first year of operation. Even if Ariane 6 is highly anticipated and everything is going well for its inaugural shot (the teams are working on it, but it is not guaranteed), it will take time to enter a cruising pace.
Click to expand...
Euclid's scientific teams were therefore put before an agenda that initially seemed impossible to them: they must prepare for a take-off of their vehicle by the end of the year... 2024. And this, while it has been full since the summer of 2022, in the Thales Alenia Space premises in Cannes! This postponement of more than 18 months goes badly, already because it results in a large budget overrun. The telescope itself is indeed finished, so it will have to be put under cocoon, in impeccable conditions, which costs a fortune (we mention between 5 and 7 million euros per month, or almost 100 million euros of storage before sending to Guyana). There is also the scientific impact of teams and positions that will need to be reformed, many laboratories operating on fixed-term contracts (especially among doctoral and post-doctoral students), not to mention the inevitable applications for funding.
Click to expand...
In addition, the teams hoped to be operational before the Americans. Euclid is theoretically an incredible instrument, capable of achieving on a galaxy scale what the Gaia mission accomplishes for the stars in our neighbourhood. It would make it possible to build a formidable catalogue of galaxies, clusters, shape, age, spectrum, etc. with in particular a prestigious scientific objective, to use these data to understand the acceleration of the Universe and decipher the role of dark energy.

In 2026-27, the United States will send (if all goes well) its new Nancy Grace Roman (NGR) telescope into orbit, and it will also have capabilities in this area, although with additional measures. In order for them to work in tandem (and not in competition), it is important that Euclid's data is already available when the NGR begins its mission... Even if it is possible that the American telescope also suffers from delays.
Click to expand...
Finally, and despite requests to ESA, Euclid does not seem to become a priority file. The European Union is already pressing the agency for other satellites. The next Galileo units must be sent into orbit as well as Sentinel-1C, which will replace the 1B radar unit that has permanently failed this year. The French state is pushing for its part to complete the deployment of its CSO constellation, very popular military optical observation while war is raging within 2,000 km from our borders.

For some scientists, ESA's commitment to only want to use European launchers is a stubbornness more than a sovereignty issue: Ariane 6 costs them years of delay. Some even fear that Arianespace, faced with deadlines, will put the needs of its flagship customer in the coming years, Amazon, ahead of those of their telescope. It should be noted that for ESA, and even more so for its member countries very committed to launchers (France, Germany or Italy), the alternative is grinding, because it is almost always SpaceX that comes back on the table.
Click to expand...
Indeed, the international market is in tension. Without Russia, ESA could turn to India, but the country has its own concerns in the launcher sector (rhythm and reliability). Japan is also in full transition to its new generation H-3 competitor of Ariane 6, and the other American partners either do not have the appropriate rockets or full agendas for several years. And the European NewSpace sector, for its part, should not be there quickly enough.
Click to expand...
So, what to do? ESA Director Josef Aschbacher said in August that he had opened discussions with SpaceX officials, not necessarily for Euclid, but to relieve the European flight schedule, which has become untenable.

The case will not be played out in a few weeks, but it is also a way to warn member countries a few months before the great and very important ministerial assembly of the European Space Agency. The latter takes place every three years, and representatives as ministers of ESA member nations will decide on its budgets and its future. The appointment will be scrutinised for all future missions, currently threatened by inflation that blocks budgets sometimes set a decade in advance. And above all, the launcher crisis will play a central role in it.
Click to expand...
www.clubic.com

Les scientifiques européens à court de solutions pour envoyer le télescope Euclid en orbite

La file d'attente pour profiter d'un ticket pour l'espace ne cesse de s'allonger en Europe. Puisque Soyouz n'est plus une option depuis l'invasion de l'Ukraine, satellites et sondes attendent Ariane 6. Le télescope Euclid, notamment, pourrait rester bloqué au sol presque deux années supplémentaires.
www.clubic.com www.clubic.com
 
Flyaway said:
Translation:

European scientists run out of solutions to send the Euclid telescope into orbit​

Click to expand...
The queue to take advantage of a space ticket continues to grow in Europe. Since Soyuz is no longer an option since the invasion of Ukraine, satellites and probes are waiting for Ariane 6. The Euclid telescope, in particular, could remain stuck on the ground for almost two more years.

Astrophysicists see their project completed, but at a standstill.

Do without Soyuz

Compared to the many Russian announcements or threats about the future of the International Space Station, the sanctions and counter-sanctions concerning Soyuz launchers sent from the Guyanese Space Centre (CSG) have been somewhat forgotten. Indeed, two days after the invasion of Ukraine, Roscosmos announced the repatriation of his teams who were in Guyana as well as the end of the take-offs of the iconic Russian launcher

Immediately, European officials announced that they were looking for alternatives, but six months later, they have not yet materialised. Several Soyuz launches were planned since the CSG this year, in particular as part of the Galileo program (two pairs of satellites), but also in the French Defence service with the CSO-3 "spy" satellite... Others were also planned for 2023, in particular in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) to send the EarthCare terrestrial observation satellite, the Sentinel-1C radar satellite, Since February, in public and behind the scenes, each team has therefore been looking for the least penalising solution.
Click to expand...
However, there are not many options for sending a telescope like Euclid into orbit. Already, a change of launcher involves additional work, because the flight profile and associated constraints (vibrations, shooting duration, ejection point to reach the Lagrange Earth-Sun point L2) will change.

In reality, if ESA sticks to its own specifications, it must use a European launcher, i.e. Ariane 6. Except for one problem: the rocket is not available today, nor will it be on time to replace Soyuz. The inaugural take-off of Ariane 6 is now more or less scheduled for the first half of 2023. No precise date has been announced, institutions and manufacturers are waiting for the results of the current combined testing campaign, which will continue for several months. And yet, we should not expect a host of take-offs of the new launcher in its first year of operation. Even if Ariane 6 is highly anticipated and everything is going well for its inaugural shot (the teams are working on it, but it is not guaranteed), it will take time to enter a cruising pace.
Click to expand...
Euclid's scientific teams were therefore put before an agenda that initially seemed impossible to them: they must prepare for a take-off of their vehicle by the end of the year... 2024. And this, while it has been full since the summer of 2022, in the Thales Alenia Space premises in Cannes! This postponement of more than 18 months goes badly, already because it results in a large budget overrun. The telescope itself is indeed finished, so it will have to be put under cocoon, in impeccable conditions, which costs a fortune (we mention between 5 and 7 million euros per month, or almost 100 million euros of storage before sending to Guyana). There is also the scientific impact of teams and positions that will need to be reformed, many laboratories operating on fixed-term contracts (especially among doctoral and post-doctoral students), not to mention the inevitable applications for funding.
Click to expand...
In addition, the teams hoped to be operational before the Americans. Euclid is theoretically an incredible instrument, capable of achieving on a galaxy scale what the Gaia mission accomplishes for the stars in our neighbourhood. It would make it possible to build a formidable catalogue of galaxies, clusters, shape, age, spectrum, etc. with in particular a prestigious scientific objective, to use these data to understand the acceleration of the Universe and decipher the role of dark energy.

In 2026-27, the United States will send (if all goes well) its new Nancy Grace Roman (NGR) telescope into orbit, and it will also have capabilities in this area, although with additional measures. In order for them to work in tandem (and not in competition), it is important that Euclid's data is already available when the NGR begins its mission... Even if it is possible that the American telescope also suffers from delays.
Click to expand...
Finally, and despite requests to ESA, Euclid does not seem to become a priority file. The European Union is already pressing the agency for other satellites. The next Galileo units must be sent into orbit as well as Sentinel-1C, which will replace the 1B radar unit that has permanently failed this year. The French state is pushing for its part to complete the deployment of its CSO constellation, very popular military optical observation while war is raging within 2,000 km from our borders.

For some scientists, ESA's commitment to only want to use European launchers is a stubbornness more than a sovereignty issue: Ariane 6 costs them years of delay. Some even fear that Arianespace, faced with deadlines, will put the needs of its flagship customer in the coming years, Amazon, ahead of those of their telescope. It should be noted that for ESA, and even more so for its member countries very committed to launchers (France, Germany or Italy), the alternative is grinding, because it is almost always SpaceX that comes back on the table.
Click to expand...
Indeed, the international market is in tension. Without Russia, ESA could turn to India, but the country has its own concerns in the launcher sector (rhythm and reliability). Japan is also in full transition to its new generation H-3 competitor of Ariane 6, and the other American partners either do not have the appropriate rockets or full agendas for several years. And the European NewSpace sector, for its part, should not be there quickly enough.
Click to expand...
So, what to do? ESA Director Josef Aschbacher said in August that he had opened discussions with SpaceX officials, not necessarily for Euclid, but to relieve the European flight schedule, which has become untenable.

The case will not be played out in a few weeks, but it is also a way to warn member countries a few months before the great and very important ministerial assembly of the European Space Agency. The latter takes place every three years, and representatives as ministers of ESA member nations will decide on its budgets and its future. The appointment will be scrutinised for all future missions, currently threatened by inflation that blocks budgets sometimes set a decade in advance. And above all, the launcher crisis will play a central role in it.
Click to expand...
www.clubic.com

Les scientifiques européens à court de solutions pour envoyer le télescope Euclid en orbite

La file d'attente pour profiter d'un ticket pour l'espace ne cesse de s'allonger en Europe. Puisque Soyouz n'est plus une option depuis l'invasion de l'Ukraine, satellites et sondes attendent Ariane 6. Le télescope Euclid, notamment, pourrait rester bloqué au sol presque deux années supplémentaires.
www.clubic.com www.clubic.com
Click to expand...

I can see Euclid going to be cancelled, it is going to be sad if ESA do cancel Euclid especially if they cannot get an appropriate rocket to launch it.
 
Looks like it will end up being launched on a Falcon 9 as not many other options in the 2023 timeframe.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1582016524813901824
View: https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1582016524813901824


At the Astrophysics Advisory Committee meeting this morning, NASA says that ESA is exploring options to launch the Euclid mission on a Falcon 9 in mid or late 2023. It was to launch on a Soyuz, which is no longer an option; not many other alternatives for a 2023 launch.
Click to expand...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1582017553182117890
View: https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1582017553182117890


A feasibility study for launching Euclid on a Falcon 9 is ongoing and should be done by the end of the month.
Click to expand...
 
www.esa.int

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.
www.esa.int

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. The following day, Euclid set sail to the port near its launch site in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

To keep the satellite safe during the journey, Euclid was placed in a container flushed with nitrogen to maintain a clean room environment. Parameters such as temperature, pressure and humidity are being constantly monitored during travel.

The ship is expected to reach its destination at the beginning of May, getting ready for launch no earlier than this July on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida, USA.
Click to expand...

ESA's Euclid mission is designed to map the large-scale structure of the Universe and help us understand these mysterious components: dark matter and dark energy.

Euclid will create the largest, most accurate 3D map of the Universe ever. It will observe billions of galaxies out to 10 billion light-years, across more than a third of the sky. With this map, Euclid will reveal how the Universe has expanded and how its structure has evolved over cosmic history. And from this, we can learn more about the role of gravity and the nature of dark energy and dark matter.
Click to expand...
 
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.

After the transport container is opened, Euclid moves to a cleanroom. The coming month the satellite’s subsystems will be tested. After the final checks, Euclid will be mounted on top of its launch vehicle.

Euclid will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, no earlier than July, before starting its 1.5 million km journey to the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2. In orbit, Euclid will map billions of galaxies out to 10 billion light years, across more than one third of the sky.
Click to expand...
 
SpaceX is targeting Saturday, July 1 for Falcon 9’s launch of the ESA Euclid mission to a Sun-Earth L2 transfer orbit, also known as the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 2, from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 11:12 a.m. ET (15:12 UTC). If needed, a backup opportunity is available Sunday, July 2 at the same time.

The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched Ax-2. (=B1080) Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

A live webcast of this mission will begin about 15 minutes prior to liftoff.
Click to expand...

www.spacex.com

SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.
www.spacex.com www.spacex.com

View: https://youtu.be/NIwvwYVUuxg
 
Excellent news, I cannot wait for launch day and an afternoon launch for us living in the UK so no need to set my alarm clock to get up in the middle of the night. :)
 
Just back from SpaceX and it is three hours from lift off for Euclid.
 
Another successful landing onto the recovery vessel for the first stage.
 
Remaining launch milestones:

00:17:102nd stage engine starts (SES-2)
00:18:282nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)
00:40:58ESA Euclid deploys
Click to expand...
 
Good to see that Euclid deployed successfully, I for one cannot wait for the first science returns.
 

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