This image shows the coming together of two key parts of the Euclid spacecraft – the instrument-carrying payload module and the supporting service module.
To connect the two together, engineers used a crane to lower the 800-kilogram payload module onto the service module via six attachment points. The team took great care to make sure that these points matched up very well, as a poor contact could induce stresses that damage the structure or deform Euclid’s 1.2-metre telescope mirror.
After the modules were joined mechanically, the engineers added connector brackets and plugged in the electrical connectors. Then they checked that everything was working properly before covering the connector brackets and any tiny remaining gaps between the two modules with thermal insulation to really seal up the spacecraft.
Read more about the coming together of the two modules here.