Herschel and Planck commissioning has begun   Shortly after launch, Herschel and Planck will separate from the launcher’s upper stage and head independently towards their respective orbits around the second Lagrange point of the Sun-Earth system (L2), some 1.5 million km from Earth in the direction opposite to the Sun. It will take about 60 days for both spacecraft to reach their destination.   Ariane 5 V188 with Herschel and Planck on board rises above ESA's 15m ESTRACK tracking station at Kourou, French Guiana, just after liftoff at 15:12 CEST, 14 May 2009. Critical LEOP phase winding down     This animation shows the Herschel spacecraft leaving Earth and heading towards its operational orbit around the 2nd Lagrangian Point (L2). L2 is a virtual point in space situated at 1.5 million kilometres from Earth (about four times the distance between Earth and the Moon), in the opposite direction to the Sun. Herschel will orbit L2 at an average distance of about 800 000 km; a minimum of three years of routine science operations are foreseen.   This artist's concept shows the path of Planck to its operational orbit around the second Lagrangian point in space (L2), 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth.   Orbits of Herschel and Planck around L2, the second Lagrange point of the Sun-Earth system. Release date: 16 December 2009