Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Euclid scientific satellite to study dark energy and dark matter to better understand the origin of the accelerated expansion of the Universe marks an important milestone

01/07/2022

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Integration activities completed for a soon shipment from Turin to Cannes facilities at Thales Alenia Space Turin, 1 July 2022 - Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), announced that all the integration activities for the Euclid satellite have been completed at the Turin plant and Euclid will soon be heading to the Thales Alenia Space plant in Cannes, where it will carry out environmental tests, prior to the launch campaign. Euclid is a technological gem that will play a leading role in the challenging scientific missions of the European Space Agency (ESA) with the contribution of many national space agencies, including the French and Italian Space Agencies (CNES and ASI). The mission is designed to explore dark energy and the mysteries of dark matter.

Thales Alenia Space

Euclid satellite is for the first time in its launch configuration equipped with all the on-board subsystems and the scientific instruments VIS (Visible Instrument) and NISP (Near Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer) being individually integrated and tested. In addition the telescope, previously integrated at the Airbus Defense & Space plant in Toulouse, has been installed on the service module as well as the Solar Panel and the Antenna .

Thales Alenia Space in Italy is the prime contractor for the Euclid mission satellite and is also responsible for its service module, as well as leading the industrial team of more than 120 European companies.

Thales Alenia Space

How did the Universe come into existence and why is it expanding at an accelerated speed, rather than decelerating due to the gravitational attraction of all the matter it contains? This is one of the most important questions in modern cosmology and Euclid, by mapping the structure of the Universe on a large scale over 10 billion light years, will reveal the history of its expansion and growth of cosmic structures over the last three quarters of its history.

I would like to emphasise the excellent team work carried out over the last few years by both the project team and the entire industrial consortium for the ESA Euclid mission, said Walter Cugno, Vice-President of Exploration and Science at Thales Alenia Space, a very synergic and punctual work that confirms Thales Alenia Spaces ability to lead the development of highly challenging scientific missions. Contributions from Thales Alenia Space in Spain, Belgium and France, enabled to reach this important programme milestone, which will be now completed by environmental tests carried out in Cannes then followed by the launch campaign of this truly challenging mission.

Thales Alenia Space/Consuelo Pecchenino

Communicating at 1.5 million kilometres distance

Euclid will map the 3D distribution of up to two billion galaxies and associated dark matter during a six-year mission, covering most of the observable sky outside our Milky Way. The complete survey consists of 150 thousand high - definition images with associated colour and spectral information, resulting in close to a petabyte of compressed data to be downlinked. This huge amount of data will be transmitted by the satellite from its orbit around the L2 Sun-Earth Lagrangian point at a distance of 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth, using its K-band (26 GHz) radiofrequency data transmission system to the ESAs stations located in Cebreros, Spain, and Malarg e, Argentina, equipped with 35 meters parabolic antennas. Euclid also incorporates an X-band system to control and monitor the spacecraft and measure its distance to Earth.

Euclid industrial contributions

Among the main subcontractors, Airbus Defense & Space in Toulouse, France, is responsible for the Payload Module, comprising the telescope and optical bench housing the sensors of the 2 VIS and NISP instruments.

These instruments have been developed by an international consortium led by the IAP astrophysics institute in Paris, in which no fewer than 10 French research laboratories are involved (attached to the national scientific research centre CNRS and CEA, the French atomic energy and alternative energies commission), supported by CNES.

Thanks to the cold gas micropropulsion built by Leonardo, ESA will be able to control the orientation of the probe in space with corrections in observation direction. Information regarding the telescopes line of sight will also come from a Leonardo sensor: specifically developed for the Euclid mission, the Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) is a highly accurate star sensor, mounted directly onto the telescope, with the aim of ensuring absolute alignment between the axis of the telescope and the reference stars. Furthermore, Leonardo supplies the photovoltaic panels, which will provide power for all the probes systems.

The Euclid K-band deployable and steerable high gain antenna draws on Thales Alenia Space in Italys unique expertise in this domain in exploration missions to the Solar System, like Cassini-Huygens (Saturn), BepiColombo (Mercury) and ExoMars (Mars).

Thales Alenia Space in Italy has also provided the X-band Transponder, while the X-band and K-band Travelling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTA) have been developed by Thales Alenia Space in Belgium.

Thales Alenia Space in Spain provided the satellite telecommunication system, given its strong heritage in data transmission systems for all types of space missions and orbits.

ABOUT THALES ALENIA SPACE

Drawing on over 40 years of experience and a unique combination of skills, expertise and cultures, Thales Alenia Space delivers cost-effective solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Governments and private industry alike count on Thales Alenia Space to design satellite-based systems that provide anytime, anywhere connections and posi
LINK: https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/space/press_release/euclid-sc...
See more stories from thales

Most recent headlines

09/11/2025

Dalet Unveils Agentic AI Media Workflows at IBC2025

Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...

22/10/2025

Prime Video Inks Deal To Present NFL Black Friday Game Worldwide

Prime Video Inks Deal To Present NFL Black Friday Game Worldwide By SVG Staff Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 10:06 am Print This Story | Subscribe Story ...

22/10/2025

NBA Tip-Off: ESPN Goes 1080p HDR End-to-End, Flipping HDR Switch on REMI and REMCO Shows

NBA Tip-Off: ESPN Goes 1080p HDR End-to-End, Flipping HDR Switch on REMI and REM...

22/10/2025

FloSports Empowers Division II, III Athletic Departments With Turnkey Production Suite for Livestreaming Production

FloSports Empowers Division II, III Athletic Departments With Turnkey Production...

22/10/2025

Wall Street Video Summit Debuts, Bringing Together 200 Financial Enterprise Video Executives in NYC

Wall Street Video Summit Debuts, Bringing Together 200 Financial Enterprise Vide...

22/10/2025

Dueling Pianos: International Chopin Piano Competition Is as Competitive as a Ballgame - and Has Amazing Audio

Dueling Pianos: International Chopin Piano Competition Is as Competitive as a Ba...

22/10/2025

Celebrate the Anniversaries of Shakira's Landmark Albums With Spotify-Exclusive EP and Video Special

In 1995, a young Colombian artist released an album that would change Latin pop ...

22/10/2025

SGL Carbon expands sustainable energy supply and invests in photovoltaic system at Meitingen site

Over the past few months, a photovoltaic system has been installed on a three-he...

22/10/2025

Orion Meets SLS: L3Harris Technology Ready to go to the Moon

The Orion spacecraft for NASA's Artemis II mission is stacked on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kenn...

22/10/2025

Hybrid SATCOM: Delivering Resilient and Agile Connectivity Today

L3Harris' Hybrid SATCOM is resilient by design, offering path diversity that eliminates vulnerabilities by routing data across the best available networks i...

22/10/2025

The 2025 NAB Show New York Opens With More Than 12,000 Attendees Expected

WASHINGTON, D.C. Organizers of NAB Show New York said they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countries along with 260 exhibitor...

22/10/2025

The 2025 NAB Show New York Set to Open with More Than 12,000 Attendees Expected

WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...

22/10/2025

Masque Sound and Jaffe Holden Create Transformative Perfo...

Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company, supplied an extensive gear package of professional-grade equipment for ...

22/10/2025

Lightware UCX-3x3-TPX-RX20 sets new standard for connecte...

Lightware, a global leader in signal management and AV connectivity solutions, is seeing strong market momentum for the UCX-3x3-TPX-RX20, a compact transmitter-...

22/10/2025

Chyron Releases PAINT 10.2 Telestration Platform

MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron has released PAINT 10.2, the latest update for its telestration platform, adding support for SMPTE ST 2110 IP workflows, expanding brandin...

22/10/2025

NBCUniversal Invests in ATSC 3.0 Authority Behind Run3TV

WASHINGTON Run3TV today said NBCUniversal is joining as an investor in the ATSC 3.0 Framework Authority, which develops the Run3TV NextGen TV application platfo...

22/10/2025

swXtch.io to Feature SRT-X Gateway, groundSwXtch at NAB Show New York

ATLANTA swXtch.io will feature two new networking solutions extending the company's reach across more cloud and on-prem workflows at NAB Show New York, set ...

22/10/2025

HBO Max Increases Prices for All Tiers

The Warner Bros. Discoverys HBO Max streaming services has increased prices for all its streaming tiers effectively immediately for new customers. Existing cust...

22/10/2025

OpenDrives Inks Agreement With Versatile Distribution Services

LOS ANGELES OpenDrives has signed a new distribution partnership deal with Versatile Distribution Services (VDS) to strengthen its channel and streamline how it...

22/10/2025

The 2025 NAB Show New York Set to Open with More Than 12,000 Attendees

WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...

22/10/2025

Samora Pinderhughes Brings Immersive Sound to Berklee's Signature Series

Samora Pinderhughes Brings Immersive Sound to Berklee's Signature Series The artist and composer, who's worked with Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Co...

22/10/2025

BMI Day at Berklee Celebrates Composer Fil Eisler and Awards Scholarship to Student Jack Ryan

BMI Day at Berklee Celebrates Composer Fil Eisler and Awards Scholarship to Stud...

22/10/2025

Tribeca Announces Star-Studded Lineup of Membership Events Featuring Tracy Morgan, Alex Rodriguez, and Lucy Liu

October 22nd, 2025 TRIBECA ANNOUNCES STAR-STUDDED LINEUP OF MEMBERSHIP EVENTS F...

22/10/2025

Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF cooperate in drone defense

Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF cooperate in drone defense Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF partner to deliver a comprehensive drone defense solution combining Rohde & S...

22/10/2025

ARTE Enhances Live Production Capabilities with Grass Valley's NativeIP Solutions

European Broadcaster Upgrades To Grass Valley's NativeIP LDX 135 Cameras And...

22/10/2025

Everyone Gets a Better Deal on Verizon with New FOX One Perk

Everyone Gets a Better Deal on Verizon with New FOX One Perk The $15 FOX One streaming service perk is yet another way Verizon continues to add savings for cu...

22/10/2025

First look promo Hidden Assets Series 3

First Look Hidden Assets Series 3 Premieres on 9th November 9:30pm on RT One & RT Player WATCH HERE Promo Link: Hidden Assets Series 3 | RT The Crimin...

21/10/2025

NAB New York 2025: Although AES Show Is on Its Own, Audio Will Be a Major Part of the East Coast Expo

NAB New York 2025: Although AES Show Is on Its Own, Audio Will Be a Major Part o...

21/10/2025

NAB New York 2025: Business of Broadcast and Media,' Future of Content' Are Themes for Two-Day Show

NAB New York 2025: Business of Broadcast and Media,' Future of Content'...

21/10/2025

SVG All-Stars: Ethan Folz, Senior Director, Digital Operations and Quality of Experience, DTC Products, Tech, and Operations, NBA

SVG All-Stars: Ethan Folz, Senior Director, Digital Operations and Quality of Ex...

21/10/2025

NBA on NBC/Peacock: Livestream Offers Graphic Overlays, Predictive Gaming, Ancillary Camera Angles, Real-Time Highlights

NBA on NBC/Peacock: Livestream Offers Graphic Overlays, Predictive Gaming, Ancil...

21/10/2025

NBA on NBC/Peacock: At the Front Bench With Producer Frank DiGraci and Director Pierre Moossa

NBA on NBC/Peacock: At the Front Bench With Producer Frank DiGraci and Director ...

21/10/2025

NBA on NBC/Peacock: NBC Sports, NEP Build Ultra-Flexible Production Plan That Seamlessly Blends Onsite, REMI Models

NBA on NBC/Peacock: NBC Sports, NEP Build Ultra-Flexible Production Plan That Se...

21/10/2025

What to Watch: 6 Indigenous-Led Contemporary Stories Supported by the Documentary Film Program

Indigenous storytelling has been at the heart of the work of the Sundance Instit...

21/10/2025

2026 Sundance Film Festival Announces Park City Legacy Program Featuring Archival Screenings, Special Talks, and Culmination Event

Top L-R: Mysterious Skin, American Dream Second Row L-R: Little Miss Sunshine, D...

21/10/2025

DEADBEAT' Delivered a Raw Communal Party With Tame Impala and The Dare in Brooklyn

Last week, Spotify and Columbia Records transformed Pier 4 at the Brooklyn Army ...

21/10/2025

SBS Learn's Dharug Ngurra resource empowers classrooms to meaningfully celebrate NSW Aboriginal Languages Week

SBS Learn's Dharug Ngurra resource empowers classrooms to meaningfully celeb...

21/10/2025

Turning Viewers into Promoters: What Rising NPS Scores Tell Us About the Power of Experience

As global operators simplify and evolve their digital platforms, NPS improvement...

21/10/2025

L3Harris Successfully Completes Important Milestone for Army SATCOM Program

Critical Design Review completion is a key milestone on the path toward Wideband Global Satellite Communications certification for the network in 2026, opening ...

21/10/2025

In the Undersea Domain - Reliability is Key

New Australian undersea training range to implement and improve warfighting tactics, proficiency and safety; enable joint/allied training that contributes to pr...

21/10/2025

WWTV Bridges 48 Miles with Bold IP Studio Upgrade, Powered by Clear-Com and Key Code Media

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...

21/10/2025

The Gauge: Poland | September 2025

September, the beginning of autumn, brought an expected revival to the TV market, largely due to the new fall TV schedules. The time spent in front of the TV sc...

21/10/2025

Nielsen: September Football Blitz Leads to Historic Monthly Spike in Broadcast Viewership

Broadcast Booms with 20% Uptick vs. August, Achieving Largest Monthly Increase ...

21/10/2025

THE GAUGE: MEXICO SEPTEMBER 2025

During September, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico settled at 24.5%, a marginal shift of -0.5 share points from the previous month. Disclaimer: YU...

21/10/2025

BBright, GlobalM Successfully Trial End-to-End UHD Interoperability

RENNES, France BBright and GlobalM have conducted a technical trial validating Ultra HD interoperability across the entire contribution chain in the cloud, achi...

21/10/2025

Kokusai Denki To Debut New 4K Camera at 2025 NAB Show New York

Kokusai Denki Electric America will mark the U.S. debut of a new 4K camera at the 2025 NAB New York, Oct. 22-23. Now available, the Z-HD6500-S1 UHD/HD productio...

21/10/2025

Triveni Digital to Showcase Industrys Most Comprehensive...

Triveni Digital, a trusted leader in ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 service delivery, data broadcasting, and quality assurance solutions, will showcase its entire NEXTGEN TV ...

21/10/2025

Radio Azzurra Advances to Digital Workflow with DHD SX2 A...

Radio Azzurra FM, longest-running radio station in the province of Novara, northwest Italy, has invested in an DHD SX2 audio routing and mixing console for inte...

21/10/2025

Globecast Appoints G Morgan as EVP of Sales for Globecast...

Globecast, the leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, has announced the appointment of G Morgan as Executive Vice President of...