De-iced Euclid space telescope regains sight
The Euclid space telescope can see clearly again after a de-icing operation went better than expected, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced on Tuesday.
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A week ago, ESA announced that a wafer-thin layer of ice on the telescope’s optics was causing problems. This affected the “Visible Instrument” measuring device, parts of which were developed in Switzerland.
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According to ESA, the researchers spent months working on a procedure to get rid of the ice without damaging the telescope. De-icing a telescope around 1.5 million kilometres from Earth was no easy task.
In the end, individual parts of the spacecraft were heated using the on-board heaters. It would have been easier to heat the entire spacecraft to free it from frozen water. However, according to ESA, this would have entailed the risk of important components expanding and not returning exactly to their original shape.
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“After the very first mirror was warmed by just 34 degrees, Euclid’s vision was restored,” ESA wrote. Nothing now stands in the way of the mission.
The Euclid probe was launched into space in July 2023. The aim of the mission is to create the most comprehensive 3D map of the universe to date. ESA wants to peer into the universe’s past and map its development over the last ten billion years.
Several Swiss research institutes are heavily involved in the project, including the University of Zurich, the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne and the University of Geneva.
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Translated from German by DeepL/mga
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