ESA to launch first giant space telescope
The European Space Agency (ESA) is to launch the first giant space telescope in 2007. While giant telescopes are common on the ground, the ESA's Herschel Space Observatory, with a primary mirror 3.5 metres in diameter, will be the first large telescope to be launched into space. The size of Herschel's primary mirror, its light-collecting instrument, will allow even faint objects to be observed. The primary mirror is so large that it cannot be built in one single piece. Instead, it will be constructed from 12 separate 'petals,' making it the first segmented space mirror. Herschel will be able to observe the first galaxies and stars that ever existed, and provide information on their formation 13 billion years ago. It will also be able to detect far-infrared light, which cannot be seen from the ground, thus revealing phenomena that have so far remained hidden. The telescope is just one part of the Herschel spacecraft, which will also contain a smaller secondary mirror, a service module and a payload module containing scientific instruments. A flight model of the Herschel telescope will be ready by July 2004 for a 3-month campaign of intensive testing. Herschel will be launched together with the Planck spacecraft, ESA's mission to study the origin of the universe. The ESA recently signed a contract with Astrium SAS in Toulouse, France, which will be responsible for the construction of the Herschel Observatory. The prime contractor for the whole Herschel/Planck project is Alcatel Industries in France. A total of 10 European companies are involved in the project.