Space Telescope Takes Flight to Investigate Universe’s Deepest Mysteries

This Saturday, a European telescope embarked on a cosmic journey to uncover the hidden secrets of the so-called dark universe.

SpaceX was instrumental in launching the Euclid observatory, an initiative of the European Space Agency (ESA), towards its final destination positioned a million miles away, in the vicinity of the Webb Space Telescope. It is projected to reach its destination in a month, with operations scheduled to begin after another two months.

Just under an hour into the mission, German flight controllers marked the smooth launch as successful, jubilantly cheering and shouting, “Yes!” as they received communication from the telescope.

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Josef Aschbacher, the director-general of the ESA, shared his enthusiasm from the Florida launch site, “I’m so thrilled and excited to see this mission making its way into space.”

Named after the ancient Greek mathematician, Euclid will investigate billions of galaxies, spanning over a third of the sky. Scientists aim to study the dark energy and dark matter, that constitute most of the universe, by identifying the location and form of galaxies situated up to 10 billion light-years away, almost reaching back to the universe’s inception, the Big Bang.

According to Carole Mundell, ESA’s science director, humans understand a mere 5% of the universe, comprising stars, planets, and ourselves. The remainder “remains a mystery and an enigma, a massive frontier in contemporary physics that we hope this mission will help to advance.”

Euclid’s eagerly awaited 3D cosmic map will traverse both space and time, attempting to unravel the evolution of the dark universe and the acceleration of its expansion.

Euclid’s lead scientist, Rene Laureijs, spoke about the $1.5 billion mission’s goal of measuring dark energy and dark matter with unprecedented precision. He said, “Euclid is more than a space telescope; it’s a dark energy detector.”

Euclid, standing 15 feet tall and nearly as broad, is equipped with a 1.2-meter telescope and two scientific apparatuses for viewing the cosmos in visible light and near-infrared. A substantial sunshield is designed to maintain the optimal temperature for these sensitive systems.

NASA, which provided the infrared detectors for Euclid, plans to launch the Roman Space Telescope in 2027 for a deeper understanding of dark energy and matter. The Webb telescope, a joint US-European initiative, could also participate in this mission, as per officials.

Euclid was initially scheduled to be launched on a Russian rocket from the main European spaceport in French Guiana, South America. However, following last year’s invasion of Ukraine, the European and Russian space agencies severed ties, prompting a switch to a SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral. According to project manager Giuseppe Racca, waiting for Europe’s next-generation Ariane rocket would have resulted in a delay of over two years.

Support for The Big Big News Health and Science Department is provided by the Science and Educational Media Group of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. All content responsibility lies solely with the AP.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about dark universe exploration

More about dark universe exploration

• European Space Agency (ESA)
• Euclid Mission
• Webb Space Telescope
• NASA’s Roman Space Telescope
• SpaceX