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Planck satellite manoeuvre aims at L2 arrival

5 June 2009

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Planck will scan the entire sky to build the most accurate map ever of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the relic radiation from the Big Bang. The spacecraft will spin at 1 rotation per minute around an axis offset by about 85° so that the observed sky region will trace a large circle on the sky. As the spin axis follows the Sun the circle observed by the instruments sweeps through the sky at a rate of 1° per day. Planck will take about 6 months to complete a full scan of the sky, allowing the creation of two complete sky maps during the nominal mission lifetime (about 15 months).

Credits: ESA (animation by C. Carreau)

Manoeuvre provides mid-course correction

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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.

Credits: ESA - C. Carreau

Orbit insertion manoeuvre planned early July

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Flight Dynamics Room, ESOC, European Space Operations Centre

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Photo taken 19 February 2009 in the Flight Dynamics Room (FDR) at ESOC, the European Space Operations Centre, Darmstadt, Germany, during simulation training for the dual launch of Herschel-Plank, scheduled for 14 May 2009.

Credits: ESA

Herschel: ESA's giant infrared observatory

Planck: looking back at the dawn of time

Space Operations & Situational Awareness

Herschel and Planck commissioning has begun Herschel and Planck: Near-perfect injection by Ariane ESA's cosmic explorers in flight: stunning images from ground and space ESA en route to the origins of the Universe Watch Herschel-Planck launch 14 May 2009 15:12 CEST (replay)Herschel and Planck launch timeline

L2, the second Lagrangian Point