The Euclid space telescope, launched in July this year to investigate the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, has run into issues during commissioning.
The European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope, which launched in July this year to investigate the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, has run into issues during its commissioning phase. Although the early calibration images looked good, since then the telescope has had problems with the instrument that helps it position itself by locking onto particular stars, called the Fine Guidance Sensor.
The Fine Guidance Sensor has been intermittently failing to lock onto stars, which is making it difficult to orient the telescope in the right direction. When working correctly, data from the Fine Guidance Sensor goes to the spacecraft’s attitude and orbit control system which keeps it in the right orientation. However as this has not been working as intended, the commissioning phase for the telescope has been extended so teams can investigate the issue.
“The issue of Euclid’s fine guidance is something we’ve all been concerned about. Teams at ESA’s technical heart , mission control , Astronomy Centre and industry have been working day and night, tirelessly for months, and I can’t thank them enough for their determination to resolve the issue,” said Euclid Operations Director Andreas Rudolph in a statement. “I’m relieved to say that initial tests are looking good.
Recommended Videos The teams have created updated software to address the issue, and the software fix has worked on a test version of the spacecraft which is kept at mission control. The update has now been sent to the telescope too, and the teams will be testing the telescope to see if it helps fix the issue.
“Obviously, this is where we will have the real test of truth, as only the science images can provide us with absolute certainty that Euclid’s pointing is performing well,” said Giuseppe Racca, Euclid Project Manager. “However, all evidence so far makes us very optimistic. We will continue to keep our fingers tightly crossed, but the restart of the performance verification phase gets nearer every day.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Euclid High School not hosting Friday night football game due to safety concernsEuclid High School has moved its Friday night football game to Brunswick High School after a series of incidents that occurred throughout the week at Euclid’s high school.
Read more »
Euclid woman charged in deadly stabbing gets $1M bondEuclid police said officers arrested a 32-year-old woman in connection to the deadly stabbing of a 28-year-old man.
Read more »
Euclid high school relocates football game after student behavior concerns staffEuclid High School will play at the Brunswick stadium Friday after some students behavior concerned staff.
Read more »
The Euclid space telescope is off to a faltering startLaunched this past summer, the space observatory’s commissioning hasn’t been perfect, but the team remains optimistic.
Read more »
Police locate gun on boy suspected of breaking into vehicles: South Euclid Police BlotterA Cleveland Heights resident reported at 2:45 a.m. Sept. 20 that two boys who had been trying to enter vehicles at that city were entering South Euclid. Responding officers from both cities detained the boys in separate locations. The boy, 15, detained in South Euclid was found in possession of a gun and other criminal tools.
Read more »
Euclid telescope has a problem with its guidance systemThe Euclid space telescope, launched in July this year to investigate the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, has run into issues during commissioning.
Read more »