Planck (spacecraft) explained

Planck
Names List:COBRAS/SAMBA
Mission Type:Space telescope
Operator:ESA
Cospar Id:2009-026B
Satcat:34938
Mission Duration:Planned: >15 months
Final:
Manufacturer:Thales Alenia Space
Launch Mass:1950kg (4,300lb)[1]
Payload Mass:205kg (452lb)
Dimensions:Body: 4.2x
Launch Rocket:Ariane 5 ECA
Launch Site:Guiana Space Centre,
French Guiana
Launch Contractor:Arianespace
Entered Service:3 July 2009
Disposal Type:Decommissioned
Orbit Reference:Sun-Earth L2 orbit
(1500000km (900,000miles))
Orbit Regime:Lissajous
Apsis:helion
Telescope Type:Gregorian
Telescope Diameter:1.9x
Telescope Wavelength:300 μm – 11.1 mm (frequencies between 27 GHz and 1 THz)
Instruments List:
Acronym1:HFI
Name1:High Frequency Instrument
Acronym2:LFI
Name2:Low Frequency Instrument
Insignia:File:Planck insignia.png
Insignia Alt:Planck insignia
Insignia Caption:ESA astrophysics insignia for Planck
Insignia Size:180x180px
Programme:Horizon 2000
Previous Mission:Herschel
Next Mission:Gaia

Planck was a space observatory operated by the European Space Agency (ESA) from 2009 to 2013. It was an ambitious project that aimed to map the anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at microwave and infrared frequencies, with high sensitivity and angular resolution. The mission was highly successful and substantially improved upon observations made by the NASA Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP).

The Planck observatory was a major source of information relevant to several cosmological and astrophysical issues. One of its key objectives was to test theories of the early Universe and the origin of cosmic structure. The mission provided significant insights into the composition and evolution of the Universe, shedding light on the fundamental physics that governs the cosmos.

Planck was initially called COBRAS/SAMBA, which stands for the Cosmic Background Radiation Anisotropy Satellite/Satellite for Measurement of Background Anisotropies. The project started in 1996, and it was later renamed in honor of the German physicist Max Planck (1858–1947), who is widely regarded as the originator of quantum theory by deriving the formula for black-body radiation.

Built at the Cannes Mandelieu Space Center by Thales Alenia Space, Planck was created as a medium-sized mission for ESA's Horizon 2000 long-term scientific program. The observatory was launched in May 2009 and reached the Earth/Sun L2 point by July 2009. By February 2010, it had successfully started a second all-sky survey.

On 21 March 2013, the Planck team released its first all-sky map of the cosmic microwave background. The map was of exceptional quality and allowed researchers to measure temperature variations in the CMB with unprecedented accuracy. In February 2015, an expanded release was published, which included polarization data. The final papers by the Planck team were released in July 2018, marking the end of the mission.

At the end of its mission, Planck was put into a heliocentric graveyard orbit and passivated to prevent it from endangering any future missions. The final deactivation command was sent to Planck in October 2013.

The mission was a remarkable success and provided the most precise measurements of several key cosmological parameters. Planck's observations helped determine the age of the universe, the average density of ordinary matter and dark matter in the Universe, and other important characteristics of the cosmos.

Objectives

The mission had a wide variety of scientific aims, including:

Planck had a higher resolution and sensitivity than WMAP, allowing it to probe the power spectrum of the CMB to much smaller scales (×3). It also observed in nine frequency bands rather than WMAP's five, with the goal of improving the astrophysical foreground models.

It is expected that most Planck measurements have been limited by how well foregrounds can be subtracted, rather than by the detector performance or length of the mission, a particularly important factor for the polarization measurements. The dominant foreground radiation depends on frequency, but could include synchrotron radiation from the Milky Way at low frequencies, and dust at high frequencies.

Instruments

The spacecraft carries two instruments: the Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) and the High Frequency Instrument (HFI).[2] Both instruments can detect both the total intensity and polarization of photons, and together cover a frequency range of nearly 830 GHz (from 30 to 857 GHz). The cosmic microwave background spectrum peaks at a frequency of 160.2 GHz.

Planck passive and active cooling systems allow its instruments to maintain a temperature of -273.05C, or 0.1 °C above absolute zero.[3] From August 2009, Planck was the coldest known object in space, until its active coolant supply was exhausted in January 2012.[4]

NASA played a role in the development of this mission and contributes to the analysis of scientific data. Its Jet Propulsion Laboratory built components of the science instruments, including bolometers for the high-frequency instrument, a 20-kelvin cryocooler for both the low- and high-frequency instruments, and amplifier technology for the low-frequency instrument.[5]

Low Frequency Instrument

Frequency
(GHz)
Bandwidth
(Δν/ν)
Resolution
(arcmin)
Sensitivity (total intensity)
ΔT/T, 14-month observation
(10−6)
Sensitivity (polarization)
ΔT/T, 14-month observation
(10−6)
30 0.2 33 2.0 2.8
44 0.2 24 2.7 3.9
70 0.2 14 4.7 6.7

The LFI has three frequency bands, covering the range of 30–70 GHz, covering the microwave to infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The detectors use high-electron-mobility transistors.[2]

High Frequency Instrument

Frequency
(GHz)
Bandwidth
(Δν/ν)
Resolution
(arcmin)
Sensitivity (total intensity)
ΔT/T, 14-month observation
(10−6)
Sensitivity (polarization)
ΔT/T, 14-month observation
(10−6)
100 0.33 10 2.5 4.0
143 0.33 7.1 2.2 4.2
217 0.33 5.5 4.8 9.8
353 0.33 5.0 14.7 29.8
545 0.33 5.0 147 N/A
857 0.33 5.0 6700 N/A

The HFI was sensitive between 100 and 857 GHz, using 52 bolometric detectors, manufactured by JPL/Caltech,[6] optically coupled to the telescope through cold optics, manufactured by Cardiff University's School of Physics and Astronomy,[7] consisting of a triple horn configuration and optical filters, a similar concept to that used in the Archeops balloon-borne experiment. These detection assemblies are divided into 6 frequency bands (centred at 100, 143, 217, 353, 545 and 857 GHz), each with a bandwidth of 33%. Of these six bands, only the lower four have the capability to measure the polarisation of incoming radiation; the two higher bands do not.[2]

On 13 January 2012, it was reported that the on-board supply of helium-3 used in Planck dilution refrigerator had been exhausted, and that the HFI would become unusable within a few days.[8] By this date, Planck had completed five full scans of the CMB, exceeding its target of two. The LFI (cooled by helium-4) was expected to remain operational for another six to nine months.

Service module

A common service module (SVM) was designed and built by Thales Alenia Space in its Turin plant, for both the Herschel Space Observatory and Planck missions, combined into one single program.[2]

The overall cost is estimated to be for the Planck[9] and for the Herschel mission.[10] Both figures include their mission's spacecraft and payload, (shared) launch and mission expenses, and science operations.

Structurally, the Herschel and Planck SVMs are very similar. Both SVMs are octagonal in shape and each panel is dedicated to accommodate a designated set of warm units, while taking into account the dissipation requirements of the different warm units, of the instruments, as well as the spacecraft. On both spacecraft, a common design was used for the avionics, attitude control and measurement (ACMS), command and data management (CDMS), power, and tracking, telemetry and command (TT&C) subsystems. All units on the SVM are redundant.

Power Subsystem

On each spacecraft, the power subsystem consists of a solar array, employing triple-junction solar cells, a battery and the power control unit (PCU). The PCU is designed to interface with the 30 sections of each solar array, to provide a regulated 28 volt bus, to distribute this power via protected outputs, and to handle the battery charging and discharging.

For Planck, the circular solar array is fixed on the bottom of the satellite, always facing the Sun as the satellite rotates on its vertical axis.

Attitude and Orbit Control

This function is performed by the attitude control computer (ACC), which is the platform for the attitude control and measurement subsystem (ACMS). It was designed to fulfil the pointing and slewing requirements of the Herschel and Planck payloads.

The Planck satellite rotates at one revolution per minute, with an aim of an absolute pointing error less than 37 arc-minutes. As Planck is also a survey platform, there is the additional requirement for pointing reproducibility error less than 2.5 arc-minutes over 20 days.

The main line-of-sight sensor in both Herschel and Planck is the star tracker.

Launch and orbit

The satellite was successfully launched, along with the Herschel Space Observatory, at 13:12:02 UTC on 14 May 2009 aboard an Ariane 5 ECA heavy launch vehicle from the Guiana Space Centre. The launch placed the craft into a very elliptical orbit (perigee: 270km (170miles), apogee: more than 1120000km (700,000miles)), bringing it near the Lagrangian point of the Earth-Sun system, from the Earth.

The manoeuvre to inject Planck into its final orbit around was successfully completed on 3 July 2009, when it entered a Lissajous orbit with a 400000km (200,000miles) radius around the Lagrangian point.[11] The temperature of the High Frequency Instrument reached just a tenth of a degree above absolute zero (0.1 K) on 3 July 2009, placing both the Low Frequency and High Frequency Instruments within their cryogenic operational parameters, making Planck fully operational.[12]

Decommissioning

In January 2012 the HFI exhausted its supply of liquid helium, causing the detector temperature to rise and rendering the HFI unusable. The LFI continued to be used until science operations ended on 3 October 2013. The spacecraft performed a manoeuvre on 9 October to move it away from Earth and its, placing it into a heliocentric orbit, while payload deactivation occurred on 19 October. Planck was commanded on 21 October to exhaust its remaining fuel supply; passivation activities were conducted later, including battery disconnection and the disabling of protection mechanisms.[13] The final deactivation command, which switched off the spacecraft's transmitter, was sent to Planck on 23 October 2013 at 12:10:27 UTC.[14]

Results

Planck started its First All-Sky Survey on 13 August 2009.[15] In September 2009, the European Space Agency announced the preliminary results from the Planck First Light Survey, which was performed to demonstrate the stability of the instruments and the ability to calibrate them over long periods. The results indicated that the data quality is excellent.[16]

On 15 January 2010 the mission was extended by 12 months, with observation continuing until at least the end of 2011. After the successful conclusion of the First Survey, the spacecraft started its Second All Sky Survey on 14 February 2010. The last observations for the Second All Sky Survey were made on 28 May 2010.[11]

Some planned pointing list data from 2009 has been released publicly, along with a video visualization of the surveyed sky.[15]

On 17 March 2010, the first Planck photos were published, showing dust concentration within 500 light years from the Sun.[17] [18]

On 5 July 2010, the Planck mission delivered its first all-sky image.[19]

The first public scientific result of Planck is the Early-Release Compact-Source Catalogue, released during the January 2011 Planck conference in Paris.[20] [21]

On 5 May 2014 a map of the galaxy's magnetic field created using Planck was published.[22]

The Planck team and principal investigators Nazzareno Mandolesi and Jean-Loup Puget shared the 2018 Gruber Prize in Cosmology.[23] Puget was also awarded the 2018 Shaw Prize in Astronomy.[24]

2013 data release

On 21 March 2013, the European-led research team behind the Planck cosmology probe released the mission's all-sky map of the cosmic microwave background.[25] This map suggests the Universe is slightly older than thought: according to the map, subtle fluctuations in temperature were imprinted on the deep sky when the Universe was about 370,000 years old. The imprint reflects ripples that arose as early in the existence of the Universe as the first nonillionth (10−30) of a second. It is theorised that these ripples gave rise to the present vast cosmic web of galactic clusters and dark matter. According to the team, the Universe is billion-years-old, and contains ordinary matter, dark matter and dark energy.[26] [27] [28] The Hubble constant was also measured to be .[29] [30] [31] [32]

+ Cosmological parameters from 2013 Planck resultsParameter Symbol Planck
Best fit
Planck
68% limits
Planck+lensing
Best fit
Planck+lensing
68% limits
Planck+WP
Best fit
Planck+WP
68% limits
Planck+WP
+HighL
Best fit
Planck+WP
+HighL
68% limits
Planck+lensing
+WP+highL
Best fit
Planck+lensing
+WP+highL
68% limits
Planck+WP
+highL+BAO
Best fit
Planck+WP
+highL+BAO
68% limits
Baryon density

\Omegabh2

0.022068 0.022242 0.022032 0.022069 0.022199 0.022161
Cold dark matter density

\Omegach2

0.12029 0.11805 0.12038 0.12025 0.11847 0.11889
100x approximation to rs / DA (CosmoMC)

100\thetaMC

1.04122 1.04150 1.04119 1.041301.04146 1.04148

\tau

0.0925 0.0949 0.0925 0.0927 0.0943 0.0952
Power spectrum of curvature perturbations

ln(1010As)

3.098 3.098 3.0980 3.0959 3.0947 3.0973
Scalar spectral index

ns

0.9624 0.9675 0.9619 0.9582 0.9624 0.9611
Hubble's constant (km Mpc−1 s−1)

H0

67.11 68.14 67.04 67.15 67.94 67.77
Dark energy density

\OmegaΛ

0.6825 0.6964 0.6817 0.6830 0.6939 0.6914
Density fluctuations at 8h−1 Mpc

\sigma8

0.8344 0.8285 0.8347 0.8322 0.8271 0.8288

zre

11.35 11.45 11.37 11.38 11.42 11.52
Age of the Universe (Gy)

t0

13.819 13.784 13.8242 13.8170 13.7914 13.7965
100× angular scale of sound horizon at last-scattering

100\theta*

1.04139 1.04164 1.04136 1.04146 1.04161 1.04163
Comoving size of the sound horizon at z = zdrag

rdrag

147.34 147.74 147.36 147.35 147.68 147.611

2015 data release

Results from an analysis of Planck full mission were made public on 1 December 2014 at a conference in Ferrara, Italy.[33] A full set of papers detailing the mission results were released in February 2015.[34] Some of the results include:

Project scientists worked too with BICEP2 scientists to release joint research in 2015 answering whether a signal detected by BICEP2 was evidence of primordial gravitational waves, or was simple background noise from dust in the Milky Way galaxy.[33] Their results suggest the latter.[35]

+ Cosmological parameters from 2015 Planck results[36] Parameter Symbol TT+lowP
68% limits
TT+lowP
+lensing
68% limits
TT+lowP
+lensing+ext
68% limits
TT,TE,EE+lowP
68% limits
TT,TE,EE+lowP
+lensing
68% limits
TT,TE,EE+lowP
+lensing+ext
68% limits
Baryon density

\Omegabh2

Cold dark matter density

\Omegach2

100x approximation to rs / DA (CosmoMC)

100\thetaMC

\tau

Power spectrum of curvature perturbations

ln(1010As)

Scalar spectral index

ns

Hubble's constant (km Mpc−1 s−1)

H0

Dark energy density

\OmegaΛ

Matter density

\Omegam

Density fluctuations at 8h−1 Mpc

\sigma8

zre

Age of the Universe (Gy)

t0

z*

Comoving size of the sound horizon at z = z*

r*

100× angular scale of sound horizon at last-scattering

100\theta*

Redshift with baryon-drag optical depth = 1

zdrag

Comoving size of the sound horizon at z = zdrag

rdrag

Legend

2018 final data release

+ Cosmological parameters from 2018 Planck results[37] [38] Parameter Symbol TT+lowE
68% limits
TE+lowE
68% limits
EE+lowE
68% limits
TT,TE,EE+lowE
68% limits
TT,TE,EE+lowE
+lensing
68% limits
TT,TE,EE+lowE
+lensing+BAO
68% limits
Baryon density

\Omegabh2

0.02212±0.00022 0.02249±0.000250.0240±0.0012 0.02236±0.00015 0.02237±0.00015 0.02242±0.00014
Cold dark matter density

\Omegach2

0.1206±0.00210.1177±0.0020 0.1158±0.00460.1202±0.00140.1200±0.0012 0.11933±0.00091
100x approximation to rs / DA (CosmoMC)

100\thetaMC

1.04077±0.000471.04139±0.00049 1.03999±0.00089 1.04090±0.00031 1.04092±0.00031 1.04101±0.00029

\tau

0.0522±0.00800.0496±0.00850.0527±0.0090 0.0544±0.0073 0.0561±0.0071
Power spectrum of curvature perturbations

ln(1010As)

3.040±0.016 3.052±0.022 3.045±0.016 3.044±0.014 3.047±0.014
Scalar spectral index

ns

0.9626±0.0057 0.967±0.011 0.980±0.015 0.9649±0.0044 0.9649±0.0042 0.9665±0.0038
Hubble's constant (km s−1 Mpc−1)

H0

66.88±0.92 68.44±0.91 69.9±2.7 67.27±0.60 67.36±0.54 67.66±0.42
Dark energy density

\OmegaΛ

0.679±0.013 0.699±0.012 0.6834±0.0084 0.6847±0.0073 0.6889±0.0056
Matter density

\Omegam

0.321±0.013 0.301±0.012 0.3166±0.0084 0.3153±0.0073 0.3111±0.0056
Density fluctuations at 8h−1 Mpc S8 =

\sigma8

(

\Omegam

/0.3)0.5
0.840±0.024 0.794±0.024 0.834±0.016 0.832±0.013 0.825±0.011

zre

7.50±0.82 7.68±0.797.67±0.737.82±0.71
Age of the Universe (Gy)

t0

13.830±0.037 13.761±0.038 13.800±0.024 13.797±0.023 13.787±0.020

z*

1090.30±0.41 1089.57±0.42 1089.95±0.27 1089.92±0.25 1089.80±0.21
Comoving size of the sound horizon at z = z*(Mpc)

r*

144.46±0.48144.95±0.48144.29±0.64 144.39±0.30 144.43±0.26144.57±0.22
100× angular scale of sound horizon at last-scattering

100\theta*

1.04097±0.00046 1.04156±0.00049 1.04001±0.00086 1.04109±0.00030 1.04110±0.00031 1.04119±0.00029
Redshift with baryon-drag optical depth = 1

zdrag

1059.39±0.46 1060.03±0.54 1063.2±2.4 1059.93±0.30 1059.94±0.30 1060.01±0.29
Comoving size of the sound horizon at z = zdrag

rdrag

147.21±0.48 147.59±0.49 146.46±0.70 147.05±0.30 147.09±0.26 147.21±0.23
Legend

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Planck space observatory is integrated on Ariane 5 for Arianespace's upcoming launch . Arianespace . 24 April 2009 . 31 December 2013.
  2. Web site: Planck: The Scientific Programme . European Space Agency . ESA-SCI(2005)1 . 2005 . 6 March 2009.
  3. 10.1016/j.cryogenics.2021.103390 . 0011-2275. Development of Dilution refrigerators – A review . Cryogenics. 121. 2022. Zu . H.. Dai . W.. de Waele . A.T.A.M.. 244005391 .
  4. News: Coldest Known Object in Space Is Very Unnatural . . 7 July 2009 . 3 July 2013.
  5. Web site: Planck: Mission Overview . . 26 September 2009.
  6. Web site: The Planck High Frequency Instrument (HFI) . . 21 March 2013 . 22 March 2013 . 25 April 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150425082904/http://planck.caltech.edu/hfi.html . dead .
  7. Web site: High Frequency Instrument (HFI) . . 22 March 2013 . 12 April 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170412051045/http://www.astro.cardiff.ac.uk/research/astro/instr/projects/?page=hfi . dead .
  8. News: Super-cool Planck mission begins to warm . . Amos . Jonathan . 13 January 2012 . 13 January 2012.
  9. Web site: Planck: Fact Sheet . European Space Agency . 20 January 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120731085438/http://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/planck/Planck-Factsheet.pdf . 31 July 2012 . live.
  10. Web site: Herschel: Fact Sheet . European Space Agency . 28 April 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121018233814/http://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/herschel/Herschel-Factsheet.pdf . 18 October 2012 . live.
  11. Web site: Planck: Mission Status Summary . https://archive.today/20120805125417/http://www.rssd.esa.int/index.php?project=PLANCK&page=dev_news . European Space Agency . 19 March 2013 . 22 March 2013. 5 August 2012.
  12. Web site: Planck instruments reach their coldest temperature . European Space Agency . 3 July 2009 . 5 July 2009.
  13. Web site: Planck on course for safe retirement . European Space Agency . 21 October 2013 . 23 October 2013.
  14. Web site: Last command sent to ESA's Planck space telescope . European Space Agency . 23 October 2013 . 23 October 2013.
  15. Web site: Simultaneous observations with Planck . European Space Agency . 31 August 2009 . 17 August 2012.
  16. Web site: Planck first light yields promising results . European Space Agency . 17 September 2009.
  17. News: Planck sees tapestry of cold dust . European Space Agency . 17 March 2010.
  18. Web site: New Planck images trace cold dust and reveal large-scale structure in the Milky Way . European Space Agency . 17 March 2010 . 17 August 2012.
  19. Web site: Planck unveils the Universe – now and then . European Space Agency . 5 July 2010 . 22 March 2013.
  20. Web site: 2011 Planck Conference . 22 March 2013.
  21. Web site: Planck Legacy Archive . European Space Agency . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121007212449/http://www.sciops.esa.int/index.php?project=planck&page=Planck_Legacy_Archive . 7 October 2012 .
  22. News: Milky Way's magnetic field mapped . Science News . Christopher . Crockett . 9 May 2014 . 10 May 2014.
  23. Web site: 2018 Gruber Cosmology Prize . Gruber Foundation . 2018 . 28 May 2018.
  24. Web site: Announcement of The Shaw Laureates 2018 . The Shaw Prize . 14 May 2018 . 28 May 2018 . 7 October 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181007061234/http://www.shawprize.org/en/shaw.php?tmp=5&twoid=79&threeid=278&fourid=554 . dead .
  25. News: Mapping the Early Universe . . 21 March 2013 . 23 March 2013.
  26. See Table 9 in Planck Collaboration . 2013 . Planck 2013 results. I. Overview of products and scientific results . 1303.5062 . 10.1051/0004-6361/201321529 . 571 . Astronomy & Astrophysics . A1 . 2014A&A...571A...1P. 218716838 .
  27. Web site: Planck 2013 Results Papers . European Space Agency . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130323234553/http://www.sciops.esa.int/index.php?project=PLANCK&page=Planck_Published_Papers . 23 March 2013 .
  28. Planck Collaboration . 2013 . Planck 2013 results. XVI. Cosmological parameters . 1303.5076 . 10.1051/0004-6361/201321591 . 571 . Astronomy & Astrophysics . A16 . 2014A&A...571A..16P. 118349591 .
  29. Web site: Planck Mission Brings Universe Into Sharp Focus . . 21 March 2013 . 21 March 2013.
  30. Web site: Planck reveals an almost perfect Universe . European Space Agency . 21 March 2013 . 21 March 2013.
  31. News: Universe as an Infant: Fatter Than Expected and Kind of Lumpy . . Overbye . Dennis . 21 March 2013 . 21 March 2013.
  32. Web site: Planck probe's cosmic 'baby picture' revises universe's vital statistics . . Boyle . Alan . 21 March 2013 . 21 March 2013.
  33. News: European probe shoots down dark-matter claims . . Ron . Cowen . Davide . Castelvecchi . 2 December 2014 . 6 December 2014 . 10.1038/nature.2014.16462.
  34. Web site: Planck Publications: Planck 2015 Results . European Space Agency . February 2015 . 9 February 2015.
  35. A Joint Analysis of BICEP2/Keck Array and Planck Data . 1502.00612 . BICEP2/Keck and Planck Collaborations . February 2015 . 10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.101301 . 25815919 . 114 . 10 . 101301 . Physical Review Letters . 2015PhRvL.114j1301B. 218078264 .
  36. Planck Collaboration . 2016 . Planck 2015 results. XIII. Cosmological parameters . 1502.01589 . 10.1051/0004-6361/201525830 . 594 . Astronomy & Astrophysics . A13 . 2016A&A...594A..13P. 119262962 .
  37. Planck Collaboration. 2020. Planck 2018 results. VI. Cosmological parameters (See PDF, page 15, Table 2).. Astronomy & Astrophysics. 641. A6. 10.1051/0004-6361/201833910. 1807.06209. 2020A&A...641A...6P . 119335614.
  38. Web site: 17 July 2018 . From an almost perfect Universe to the best of both worlds . 2022-06-16 . ESA Science & Technology.