Planck (spacecraft)

Planck

Names	COBRAS/SAMBA
Mission type	Space telescope
Operator	ESA
COSPAR ID	2009-026B
SATCAT no.	34938
Website	www.esa.int/planck
Mission duration	Planned: >15 months Final: 4 years, 5 months, 8 days
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	Thales Alenia Space
Launch mass	1,950 kg (4,300 lb)
Payload mass	205 kg (452 lb)
Dimensions	Body: 4.20 m × 4.22 m (13.8 ft × 13.8 ft)
Start of mission
Launch date	14 May 2009, 13:12:02 (2009-05-14UTC13:12:02) UTC
Rocket	Ariane 5 ECA
Launch site	Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Contractor	Arianespace
Entered service	3 July 2009
End of mission
Disposal	Decommissioned
Deactivated	23 October 2013, 12:10:27 (2013-10-23UTC12:10:28) UTC
Orbital parameters
Reference system	L2 point (1,500,000 km / 930,000 mi)
Regime	Lissajous
Main telescope
Type	Gregorian
Diameter	1.9 m × 1.5 m (6.2 ft × 4.9 ft)
Wavelengths	300 µm – 11.1 mm (frequencies between 27 GHz and 1 THz)
Instruments HFI High Frequency Instrument LFI Low Frequency Instrument
Horizon 2000

Planck was a space observatory operated by the European Space Agency (ESA) from 2009 to 2013.

It mapped the anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at microwave and infra-red frequencies, with high sensitivity and small angular resolution.

The mission improved on observations made by the NASA Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP). Planck provided a major source of information about cosmology and astrophysics. It tested theories of the early Universe and the origin of cosmic structure.

Since the end of its mission, Planck has made the most precise measurements of several key numbers. These include the average density of ordinary matter and dark matter in the Universe, and the age of the universe. Planck is now switched off.