ESA’s Euclid space telescope launch: All you need to know

Source: The post is based on the article “ESA’s Euclid space telescope launch: All you need to know” published in Economic Times on 2nd July 2023

What is the News?

The European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully launched the Euclid space telescope.

It was launched with the help of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

What is the Euclid Space Telescope?

Launched by: European Space Agency (ESA)

Aim: To investigate the “dark side” of the universe, focusing on dark matter and dark energy.

How will Euclid study dark matter and dark energy? It will create a 3D map of the universe by observing billions of galaxies up to 10 billion light-years away, which will be useful in studying dark matter closely.

Destination of the telescope: The telescope will travel to Lagrange point L2 which is about 1 million miles away from Earth.

– Note: The Lagrange point is a location where the gravitational pull of two large masses, the sun and Earth in this case, precisely equals the force required for a small object, such as the Euclid spacecraft, to maintain a relatively stationary position behind Earth as seen from the sun.

Duration of the mission: The mission is scheduled to last for six years. However, the mission may be extended.

What is Dark Matter and Dark Energy?

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