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| LAUNCH DATE: |
2008
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| MISSION END: | 2011-2012 |
| LAUNCH VEHICLE: | Ariane-5 |
| LAUNCH MASS: | 3300 kg |
| MISSION PHASE: |
Implementation |
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Lissajous orbit about the second Lagrange point of the Earth-Sun system (L2) |
- Study the formation of galaxies in the early universe and their subsequent evolution
- Investigate the creation of stars and their interaction with the interstellar medium
- Observe the chemical composition of the atmospheres and surfaces of comets, planets and satellites
- Examine the molecular chemistry of the universe
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The European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory (formerly called Far Infrared and Sub-millimetre Telescope or FIRST) will be the first example of a new generation of space telescopes. It will be the first space observatory covering the full far infrared and sub-millimetre waveband, and its telescope will have the largest mirror ever deployed in space. It will be located 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth at the second Lagrange point of the Earth-Sun system. Herschel's three and a half metre mirror will collect the light from distant and poorly known objects, such as newborn galaxies thousands of millions of light-years away, and will focus it onto three instruments with detectors kept at temperatures close to absolute zero. |
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