Euclid (spacecraft)
Euclid is a planned space telescope, ESA's exploration of dark energy and dark matter. Euclid is 2020Vorlage: / start future in 5 years with a Soyuz ST- 2.1b rocket from Kourou and swivel after six months in orbit around the Lagrange point L2. Approximately three to six months after the arrival of the six-year mapping of space to begin.
Euclid will use two instruments, both of which look through a 1.2 - m- Korsch telescope with three mirrors and 24.5 m focal length and observe the same area of sky. For noise reduction, the telescope should have a temperature of about -33 ° C. An instrument operating in the visible and one in the near infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The instrument is in the visible spectral region using a plurality of CCDs arranged adjacent to each other at a temperature of about -120 ° C. The detectors of the instrument in the infrared spectral range have a temperature of -153 ° C. The instrument has several filters wheels and can take photos or record spectra in the infrared region. The temperature of the remaining infrared instrument is about -133 ° C.
In Astrium design proposal for Euclid, the two first of the three telescope mirrors are made of silicon carbide, which are passively cooled to -123 ° C. In the design proposal by Thales Alenia Space for this Euclid telescope mirrors should be made of glass ceramics, which are stabilized by a support structure of silicon nitride. The mirrors were actively cooled to -33 ° C.
In use, Euclid all 80 minutes turns completely, yet the position control in addition to high rotation rate must ensure precise alignment of the objectives.
Euclid, the measurement results and telemetric data stored in the K band will send (26 GHz) on a movable antenna to the ground station. Four hours per day will send Euclid in the K band, to transfer a maximum of 850 GB. Telemetry is transmitted not only in the C band, but also in the X-band, and is controlled by the Euclid X-band.
Current Mission Status
The contracts with the participating institutions that will build the two scientific instruments were signed on 20 June 2012. After the construction of the spacecraft was announced.
On January 24, 2013 it was announced that NASA will provide sensors for infrared instrument of Euclid. U.S. scientists are so involved in Euclid.
Astrium in Toulouse won on June 11, 2013 the contract for the payload module of Euclid. This gives the proposed Astrium telescope mirror made of silicon carbide.
Thales Alenia Space has been selected on June 27, 2013 as the prime contractor for Euclid. TAS builds the Euclid spacecraft. In these the payload module Astrium with the Telekopspiegeln of silicon carbide is installed.
Swell
- Euclid definition study report (Red Book), ISSUE 1.1, PDF 17 MB, Released: September 29, 2011, Accessed 11 October 2011 ( English)