Euclid: ESAs mission to map the geometry of the dark universe
Abstract
Euclid is a space-borne sky survey mission designed to understand the origin of the Universe's accelerating expansion. The mission is optimised for two independent cosmological probes: weak gravitational lensing and galaxy clustering. The payload consists of a 1.2 m Korsch telescope with two instruments: a visual imager (VIS) and a near-infrared spectrometer-photometer (NISP). Both instruments cover a large common field of view of 0.54 deg2, enabling a sky survey of at least 15,000 deg2. A status overview of the mission is presented: the scientific objectives, payload, satellite, and science operations. Euclid's launch is foreseen in 2019.