Skip to main content

Euclid mission launches to probe the mysteries of dark matter

The European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully launched its Euclid space telescope to study the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy. The spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with liftoff at 11:12 a.m. ET (8:12 a.m. PT).

This artist’s concept shows the ESA (European Space Agency) Euclid mission in space.
This artist’s concept shows the ESA (European Space Agency) Euclid mission in space. ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

The space telescope separated from the Falcon 9 rocket and is now on its way to its orbit around the sun. It will orbit at the second Lagrange point, called L2, which is the same orbit used by the James Webb Space Telescope as well as other space telescopes. This orbit has the advantage of requiring minimal power to maintain and being extremely stable. That stability is important because the telescope will take very detailed images of large portions of the sky, and these need to be highly accurate to measure the subtle effects of dark matter and dark energy.

Recommended Videos

Unlike some telescopes like James Webb, which are folded up for launch and must unfold once they arrive in space, Euclid will only deploy a single high gain antenna as it travels to L2. That’s also due to the need for stability for the very sensitive readings it must take.

The idea of the Euclid mission is to examine some of the biggest questions in cosmology about the nature of dark matter and dark energy. To understand these phenomena, the mission will take images of over one-third of the sky, looking beyond the Milky Way at distant background galaxies. By looking at how galaxies cluster in space, researchers can see the effects of dark energy which affects the expansion of the universe. And by making use of a phenomenon called gravitational lensing, they can see the differences between the perceived and actual mass of galaxies — with the difference being due to dark matter.

“Today we celebrate the successful launch of a ground-breaking mission that places Europe at the forefront of cosmological studies,” said Carole Mundell, ESA’s Director of Science. “If we want to understand the Universe we live in, we need to uncover the nature of dark matter and dark energy and understand the role they played in shaping our cosmos. To address these fundamental questions, Euclid will deliver the most detailed map of the extra-galactic sky. This inestimable wealth of data will also enable the scientific community to investigate many other aspects of astronomy, for many years to come.”

Euclid is scheduled to arrive at its orbit at L2 in around four weeks’ time, where it will spend around two months preparing its instruments before beginning science operations.

Georgina Torbet
Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost mission launches to the moon
Creating a golden streak in the night sky, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission One lander soars upward after liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Jan. 15, as part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative. The Blue Ghost lander will carry 10 NASA science and technology instruments to the lunar surface to further understand the Moon and help prepare for future human missions.

A moon lander from Firefly Aerospace was launched this morning carrying a variety of NASA science instruments and technology demonstrations. The Blue Ghost mission was launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:11 a.m. ET today, Wednesday January 15.

The aim is for the mission to perform a soft landing on the moon. If successful it will be just the second such landing ever by a private company, following the Intuitive Machines Odysseus landing last year. These two landings are part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which aims to have companies deliver NASA science to the moon ahead of planned human exploration there for the Artemis mission.

Read more
How to watch Firefly launch its Blue Ghost mission to the moon on Tuesday night
Rendering of the Blue Ghost on the moon's surface.

This week will feature a historic event as Firefly Aerospace launches its first mission to the moon. The Blue Ghost mission aims to put a lander on the moon carrying NASA science experiments, as part of NASA's efforts to get private companies involved in lunar exploration. If the landing succeeds, it will be just the second soft lunar landing by a private company, following the Intuitive Machines Odyssey lander last year.

Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost mission will launch late at night on Tuesday, January 14, or Wednesday, January 15. Using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the Blue Ghost will launch from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch will be liveistreamed by NASA, and you can watch it either on YouTube or by using the video embedded below:

Read more
Firefly Aerospace to launch its first mission to the moon next week
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission One lander, seen here, will carry 10 NASA science and technology instruments to the Moon’s near side when it launches from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, as part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign.

Next week, a new lander will be launched to the moon carrying NASA science instruments as part of the agency's push to incorporate more private companies into its lunar program. Firefly Aerospace has developed its first lunar lander for the Blue Ghost mission, which is set to launch on Wednesday January 15, carrying 10 NASA instruments.

The launch, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will use a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and is scheduled for 1:11 a.m. ET. It is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which also saw a semi-successful landing on the moon by Intuitive Machines last year.

Read more