La Misión Planck de la ESA incorpora tecnología diseñada por investigadores de TSC

Lanzamiento realizado el 14 de mayo de 2009, a las 13:12 UTC, desde la estación de Kourou, Guayana Francesa.

Launched at 15:12 CEST, 14 May, on an Ariane 5

The Planck scientific instrument complement comprises two instruments, LFI, a radio receiver array covering the lower frequency range, and HFI, a bolometric detector array covering the higher frequencies. The instruments share a common telescope.

The Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) is an array of 52 tuned radio receivers designed to produce high-sensitivity, multi-frequency measurements of the microwave sky in three frequency channels centered at 30, 44 and 70 GHz (wavelength range 11.1 to 3.9 mm).

The measurements made by the two instruments will be combined and used to produce a full-sky map of the anisotropies in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) with unprecedented precision. This map will in turn be used to derive a wealth of cosmological information, including an accurate determination of the values of the main parameters that characterise the large-scale structure and evolution of the Universe.

The contribution of the TSC department researchers to Planck was the design and implementation of part of the Back-End Module (BEM) of the radiometers at 30 GHz and 44 GHz, in collaboration with the DICOM department of Universidad de Cantabria (30/44 GHz BEM project coordinator).
(Photos: ESA)