![]() ![]() An extensive six-month study began a few months later to explore the compatibility of Euclid with Falcon 9’s interfaces and launch environment. ![]() The start of its science collection campaign is expected to occur within 3 months of the launch.Įuclid was originally planned to launch on a Soyuz rocket from French Guiana, but, as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, ESA decided to switch launchers. Euclid separated from the Falcon 9 second stage approximately 22.5 minutes after the end of that burn.Įuclid is expected to arrive at the L2 point about four weeks after launch and will spend several weeks checking out its systems before beginning a survey. The near $1 billion telescope is currently being transported along public roads towards the Cape and it’s ultimate destination at SLC-40.Īfter an approximate nine-minute coast phase, the MVacD engine on the second stage ignited once more for 78 seconds to insert Euclid into a transfer orbit that will bring the telescope to the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 2 (L2). They will attempt a splashdown approximately 820 kilometers downrange where they will be recovered by SpaceX’s multi-purpose recovery vessel Euclid telescope is on the move! About 42 seconds into the MVacD’s first burn, the fairing halves protecting the spacecraft separated, exposing it to space.įor this mission, the fairing halves are brand-new and are specially treated and cleaned to avoid any contamination on the telescope’s delicate instruments. After stage separation, it landed on SpaceX’s drone ship A Shortfall Of Gravitas, which is stationed 691 kilometers downrange.Įight seconds after stage separation, the Merlin 1D Vacuum engine (MVacD) on the second stage ignited for five minutes and 15 seconds to insert Euclid onto a preliminary low-Earth parking orbit. The first stage for this mission, B1080, flew for its second time, having previously supported the launch of Axiom-2. These engines burned until the T+2 minute and 37-second mark when they all shutdown, with both the first and second stages separating three seconds later. On launch day, Falcon 9 followed its traditional 35-minute-long automated propellant load sequence, culminating in the ignition of its nine Merlin 1D engines on the first stage, which was then followed by liftoff. What a treat it was to catch it being escorted on US-1. Welcome to the Space Coast Euclid! Transport from Port Canaveral is underway for final processing before launch. Encapsulated inside Falcon 9’s payload fairing, the spacecraft was transported to the pad on the night of June 28 for integration with the rocket. After construction and pre-launch testing, the spacecraft was transported via boat to Florida where it arrived on April 30.įor the last two months, the telescope has been at the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville where it has undergone final checkouts and fueling ahead of launch. These included major aerospace companies like Airbus Defence and Space, Beyond Gravity, and OHB. The Euclid project is a medium-class mission as part of the agency’s Cosmic Vision science program and has a total cost of 1.4 billion euros.Ĭonstruction of the telescope has been led by Thales Alenia Space who integrated the telescope’s components from more than 80 different companies across Europe. Liftoff was Saturday, July 1, at 11:12 AM EDT (15:12 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) in Florida.ĮSA’s Euclid will observe a large portion of the sky and deep into the past of the universe to understand the distribution and nature of dark matter and dark energy. SpaceX launched its 45th mission of the year, carrying the Euclid telescope from the European Space Agency (ESA). ![]()
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