Euclid with payload and service modules connected

On 24 March, over a dozen engineers gathered at Euclid industrial prime contractor, Thales Alenia Space in Turin, to carefully attach the two main parts of the Euclid spacecraft together. This task required such extreme precision that it took a whole day, followed by two days of connecting electronic equipment and testing that Euclid’s instruments still work.

This image shows the payload module (top) and service module (bottom) successfully connected together.

All that Euclid needs now is its combined sunshield and solar panels, as well as a high gain antenna. These will be added in the next months, before Euclid is tested as a complete system and prepared for launch in spring 2023.

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