Looking Back 13.8 Billion Years: The countdown for Planck satellite has started
Thursday, February 5, 2009 - 14:14
in Astronomy & Space
The Planck satellite is set to eavesdrop with hitherto unsurpassed precision on the echo of the Big Bang, thereby providing a sharp image of the infancy of the Universe. The satellite is due to be launched on board an Ariane 5 rocket on April 16th. The aim of this international mission, managed by the European Space Agency (ESA), is to map the cosmic microwave background. The Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching is the German partner in this project. Researchers have spent a decade developing important software components that have now been delivered to the collaboration.