"Looking into the cold Universe to understand the birth of stars and galaxies"

"The most important space science mission for the European Space Agency and for Ariane is in the last phase of preparation for launch. Due to lift off from French Guiana on May 14, the flight will be orbiting two observatories, Herschel and Planck.

Herschel will carry the largest, most powerful infrared telescope ever flown in space. A pioneering mission to study the origin and evolution of stars and galaxies, it will help understand how the Universe came to be what it is today.