ESA’s Euclid sets off on dark matter mission

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Euclid science spacecraft is carrying a high-precision 1.2m diameter reflecting telescope and payload module designed and built by Airbus that will enable the spacecraft to explore the composition and evolution of the Universe, including the role of dark matter and dark energy.

Built by Thales Alenia Space for ESA, Euclid will collect high-resolution images in visible and infrared wavelengths. Within six years of observation, covering over one third of the entire sky, Euclid will measure the shapes of, and distances to, more than one billion galaxies. NASA’s forthcoming Nancy Grace Roman mission, scheduled for launch in 2027, will study a smaller section of sky than Euclid, but it will provide higher resolution images of millions of galaxies and look deeper into the universe’s past.

In a statement, Jean-Marc Nasr, head of Space Systems at Airbus said: “Euclid is another world-inspiring space mission that will aid humanity’s understanding of the structure and evolution of the Universe. This is the largest telescope with the highest optical performance ever designed and integrated by Airbus.”