Euclid
Euclid • Missions & Center • In Development
The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected Euclid, a space-based dark energy and cosmology research mission, for in its Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 program. Euclid will follow the project development schedule set by ESA, with launch currently planned in the 2020 timeframe.
As an ESA-led mission with participation from NASA, Euclid will map the geometry of the dark Universe. Using two cosmological probes—weak lensing and baryonic acoustic oscillations—in a wide-field survey, Euclid will precisely measure the growth of large-scale structure and the expansion history of the Universe.
In January 2013 NASA joined the Euclid mission. NASA will contribute 16 state-of-the-art infrared detectors and four spare detectors for one of two science instruments planned for Euclid. In addition, NASA nominated three U.S. science teams totaling 40 new members for the Euclid Consortium. This is in addition to 14 U.S. scientists already supporting the mission. The Euclid Consortium is an international body of 1,000 members who will oversee development of the instruments, manage science operations and analyze data.
IPAC's role:
Per NASA's request, the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA is studying concepts for a potential NASA Euclid Science Center.
