Euclid: UK-backed space mission takes off to uncover mysteries of dark universe
The SpaceX rocket carrying the Euclid space telescope took off at 4.12pm UK time on Saturday.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A European space telescope has blasted off on a million-mile journey to uncover the mysteries of the dark universe.
Euclid was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 4.12pm UK time on Saturday and should take a month to reach its destination.
Named after the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid, the two-tonne probe is travelling towards an area in space known as the second Lagrange point, where the gravitational forces of Earth and the sun are roughly equal – creating a stable location for the spacecraft.
The UK has contributed £37 million towards the £850 million mission, with scientists playing key roles in designing and building the probe and leading on one of the two scientific instruments on board.
We have made huge progress in exploring visible matter, our neighbouring planets, stars and galaxies, but the dark matter and dark energy that make up 95% of the universe remain largely a mystery
The aim of the mission is to shed light on two of the universe’s greatest mysteries: dark energy and dark matter.
Reflecting on the successful take-off, European Space Agency (ESA) director general Josef Aschbacher said: “I can tell you the mood is amazing, we have a mission.
“I really would like to thank everyone who has made this possible.
“This is really a team work of so many people: it is the member states of ESA, of course, who have funded the mission who have approved the mission; it’s the science community who have defined the framework for this mission; it is the industry who have done a marvellous job with more than 100 companies across Europe; but also our partners in the United States, who have put this mission together in about 10 years’ time.
“I’m so thrilled, I’m so excited to see now this mission up in space, knowing it is on its way to Lagrange point two and (a) really fascinating moment.
“It’s such a happy moment to see this mission now flying to its destination and then of course taking all these measurements of dark energy and dark matter which fascinate us, where we have so many questions that are being answered by this data.
“Amazing and very happy and very thrilled.”
Euclid’s six-year mission aims to scrutinise the dark universe to better understand why it is rapidly expanding.
It will make use of a cosmic phenomenon known as gravitational lensing, where matter acts like a magnifying glass, bending and distorting light from galaxies and clusters behind it, to capture high-quality images.
These images will help astronomers gain insights into the elusive dark matter, particles that do not absorb, reflect or emit light.
Dark matter cannot be seen directly, but scientists know it exists because of the effect it has on objects that can be observed directly.
They believe it “binds together galaxies creating the environment for stars, planets and life”.
The mission will also explore dark energy, which is thought to push galaxies apart, causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate.
More than 2,000 scientists across Europe have been involved in the mission, from its design to its construction and analysis.
Caroline Harper, head of Space Science at the UK Space Agency, previously said: “We have made huge progress in exploring visible matter, our neighbouring planets, stars and galaxies, but the dark matter and dark energy that make up 95% of the universe remain largely a mystery.
“Euclid will give us new insights into both, helping us to build a clearer picture of the origin and evolution of the universe and the way it is expanding.
“The UK Space Agency’s £37 million investment into the mission over more than a decade has supported world-class science in universities around the country from Edinburgh to Portsmouth.
“UK scientists and engineers have led the development of one of the two science instruments on board, and we are also making a significant contribution to the ground-based data processing capability that will convert the raw data into ‘science-ready’ data, for researchers to use to tell us more about dark matter and dark energy.
“I’m incredibly excited to follow its discoveries over the next six years.”