ESA en route to the origins of the Universe (Forwarded)

European Space Agency
Press Release No. 10-2009
Paris, France 14 May 2009

ESA en route to the origins of the Universe

Two of the most ambitious missions ever attempted to unveil the secrets of
the darkest, coldest and oldest parts of the Universe got off to a
successful start this afternoon with the dual launch of ESA's far infrared
space telescope Herschel and cosmic background mapper Planck on an Ariane 5
rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.

Herschel, equipped with the largest mirror ever launched into space, will
observe a mostly uncharted part of the electromagnetic spectrum so as to
study the birth of stars and galaxies as well as dust clouds and
planet-forming discs around stars. In addition, it will be the most
effective tool ever devised to look for the presence of water in remote
parts of the Universe.

Planck is designed to map tiny irregularities in fossil radiation left over
from the very first light in the Universe, emitted shortly after the Big
Bang. Planck will have enough sensitivity to reach the experimental limits
of what can be observed, thus peering into the early Universe and studying
its constituents such as the elusive dark matter and dark energy that
continue to be a puzzle to the science community worldwide.

A Journey to L2

Both of these highly sophisticated spacecraft were lofted into space atop an
Ariane 5 ECA vehicle from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, at
13:12 UTC (15:12 CEST) today, Thursday 14 May 2009. Almost 26 minutes later,
and about two minutes from each other, they were released separately on an
escape trajectory toward a virtual point in space, called L2, some 1.5
million kilometres from Earth in the opposite direction to the Sun.

Herschel and Planck are currently on a highly elongated orbit that will
eventually bring them to an average distance of about 1.5 million km from
the Earth. Since the acquisition of the first radio signals from the two
satellites at 15:49 today [13:49 UTC], they have now come under the control
of ESA's European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany. Both
appear to be in nominal condition on their way towards their final orbit
around L2. Their first trajectory correction manoeuvres are scheduled for
tomorrow.

After about two months, the two satellites will begin their scientific
observations from two separate orbits around L2, where the combined pull of
the Earth and Sun creates a gravitational stability point. Once there,
undisturbed by thermal and radiation interference caused by the Sun, the
Earth or the Moon, Herschel will observe pre-selected celestial targets,
while Planck will perform a continuous survey of the overall sky.

"With Herschel we can resume the pioneering work undertaken with ISO, ESA's
first infrared space observatory operating in the second half of the 90s,
and we are building upon the experience gained to date by the world wide
scientific community in the field of infrared astronomy," said David
Southwood, ESA Director of Science and Robotic Exploration. "We now have
much more advanced technology at our disposal. Together with our partners
across the world and with the scientific community, which have been waiting
for this unique moment for a long time, we will work hard to fulfil
Herschel's ambitious promise, confident that we will achieve a revolutionary
breakthrough in the urgent quests of today's space science."

"Planck is ESA's first mission dedicated to the study of relic radiation
from the Big Bang, designed to continue the marvellous work undertaken over
the last 20 years by Russia's Relikt, and NASA's COBE and WMAP satellites,"
Professor Southwood continued. "With Planck, we are pushing the boundaries
of our knowledge to the very limits of what can be observed according to
theory. It is a tremendous technical challenge but helping to bring about a
great leap forward in our understanding of the origin and perhaps the fate
of our Universe will be a tremendous reward too!"

"This dual launch is the crowning of some 20 years of hard work for the
scientists who imagined these missions, the engineers who designed these
satellites, the firms that built them and the ESA staff who coordinated all
these efforts," said ESA's Director General, Jean-Jacques Dordain. "This
marvellous work could never have been accomplished without the commitment of
all of ESA's Member States, which have consistently ensured that Space
Science remains the backbone of our activities. An outstanding Space Science
programme shaped by scientific communities across Europe, driving
innovation, and embedding new technologies for the benefit of all citizens."

"Herschel and Planck are the most complex science satellites ever built in
Europe. They were developed by an industrial team led by Thales Alenia Space
France and comprising more than 100 contractors from 15 countries in Europe
and the United States. The instruments on both satellites, and the Planck
telescope, were provided by consortia of European laboratories and
institutes led by France, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom,
Germany and Denmark, with a major contribution from scientific institutions
in other countries such as the United States and Canada," Dordain added.

"Herschel and Planck will enable us to go very far back in time, to the
origins of our Universe and it is only by better understanding our
Universe's overall past that we can help to better define the future of our
planet, the Earth, not as a self-standing celestial body but as an integral
part of the whole system," Dordain concluded.

For more details on the international contribution to Herschel and Planck
please consult
http://www.esa.int/Herschel
and
http://www.esa.int/planck.

For further information:

ESA Media Relations Office
Communication and Knowledge Department
Phone: + 33 1 5369 7299
Fax: + 33 1 5369 7690
Queries: Media @ esa.int

Notes for editors:

Herschel and Planck were developed under a common engineering programme by
an industrial team led by Thales Alenia Space France, mainly supported by
Astrium Germany, Astrium Toulouse and Thales Alenia Space Italy.

Large academic and industrial consortia from across the world have designed
and manufactured Herschel and Planck's instruments under national funding.
Leading institutes a SRON (Netherlands), Max Planck Institute for
Extraterrestrial Physics (Germany), Cardiff University (United Kingdom),
Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (France) and the Istituto di Astrofisica
Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica (Italy).

Funding for the instruments on Herschel and Planck has been provided by:
SRON (Netherlands), DLR (Germany), CNES, CNRS and CEA (France), DLR and MPG
(Germany), BELSPO/PRODEX (Belgium), ASI (Italy), NASA (USA), Ministerio de
Ciencia y Tecnologia and the INTA Spanish Space Agency (Spain), Ministry of
Science and Research (Austria), STFC (UK), CSA (Canada), the Stockholm
Observatory (Sweden), the National Astronomical Observatories (China), Tekes
and Millilab (Finland), and many other contributors. The Planck telescope
reflectors were funded by the Danish Natural Science Research Council and
ESA.

[NOTE: Images and weblinks supporting this release are available at
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMK2AZVNUF_index_1.html ]