On July 1, 2022, at the Turin Thales Alenia Space plant, the Euclid astronomic satellite was introduced to the press members at the end of the integration phase. Euclid will observe the universe acting as a multi-frequency telescope and continue with the study of "Dark Energy" and "Dark Matter". The satellite is now in launch configuration and ready for environmental testing at the French Cannes plant of Thales Alenia Space. The press event has highlighted the support of the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana to the Euclid scientific mission coordinated by ESA (the European Space Agency). The scientific part of the programme has been prepared by a consortium of laboratories of 14 European countries including France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy and Switzerland with additional contributions from NASA and a number of US research centres. Euclid is quite a large satellite: length 4,5 m, width 3.2 m plus the folded solar panels. These will be unfolded laterally in orbit to avoid interference with the telescope. The overall mass at launch will be 2,160 kg. 33% of the satellite and its research and development activities were supplied by Italian industry. The Turin-based ALTEC (Aerspace Logistic Technology Engineering Company) will receive and process the bulk of the data coming from Euclid. No Russian research institutes are involved in the programme but the planned launch site was originally the Baikonur Russian cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine other options came under evaluation. The Ukrainian Antonov An-124's were originally due to transfer the satellite to the launch site but this is no longer possible and the Boeing 747 freighters are not capacious enough to hold it. Euclid will thus be taken by sea to its launch base.
In the picture: Thales Alenia Space Euclid. The astronomic satellite completed inside the clean room of the Turin TAS plant. July 1, 2022. (Aeromedia)
(Aeromedia, July 2022)
