ESA ships assembled Euclid spacecraft for final environment tests in France; pics surface

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Euclid spacecraft has completed the assembly phase and has now been shipped for further tests. Taking to Twitter, ESA revealed that the spacecraft is on its way from Italy's Turin to Thales Alenia Space’s plant in France where it will be subjected to final environmental tests. Currently, Euclid is in the fourth phase of its development before the launch campaign, targeted for 2023, begins. 

"The fully integrated Euclid spacecraft has been packed in a container and left Turin last night for the final environment tests at the Thales Alenia Space plant in Cannes in France, prior to the launch campaign!", ESA Euclid wrote in a tweet.

Euclid nears perfection ahead of the 2023 launch

Earlier in June, ESA announced that the mission team, including engineers from Thales Alenia Space, has completed the assembly of the spacecraft. In the next step, the spacecraft will be tested to determine if it is ready to face the harsh conditions of a rocket launch and operate in outer space. Notably, the spacecraft is basically a huge telescope that would map the universe to study the dark universe and help scientists better understand the origin of the universe's expansion.

Tap here to read more about Euclid's objectives.

During the tests, the spacecraft will undergo periods of intense vibrations to prepare it for the violent rocket launch as well as face intense temperature fluctuations that Euclid will face during its mission. About the size of a small bus, the Euclid spacecraft's orbital weight would be two tonnes. This weight would be contributed by 805 kg of payload module, 865 kg service module, up to 120 kg of balancing mass and 210 kg of propellant.

According to ESA, the spacecraft will be launched from Europe's Kourou spaceport in French Guiana for its destination at the second Lagrange point (L2). Located approximately 1.5 million kilometres from Earth, L2 is where the James Webb Space Telescope and the Gaia observatory have been installed. Scientists prefer this location for certain missions for its gravitational stability and the better fuel efficiency it provides.