Euclid’s payload module lifted with a crane

On 24 March 2022, ESA came one step closer to unveiling the mysteries of the dark Universe, following the coming together of two key parts of the Euclid spacecraft – the instrument-carrying payload module and the supporting service module.

This image shows the 800-kilogram payload module being lifted by a crane, just before it was lowered onto the service module.

Euclid’s instruments were integrated onto the payload module at the end of 2020. During 2021, the complete module successfully passed intensive testing under simulated space conditions to check that the telescope and instruments work as expected.

Read more about the coming together of the payload and service modules here.