HERSCHEL

HERSCHEL is classified as:

Space & Earth Science

NORAD ID: 34937

Int'l Code: 2009-026A

Launch date: May 14, 2009
Source: European Space Agency (ESA)
Launch site: FRENCH GUIANA (FRGUI)

Herschel is the largest telescope ever launched into space, carrying a silicon carbide mirror spanning 3.5 meters, or about 11.5 feet. The 7,500-pound [3,400-kg] spacecraft is shaped like a tube, standing nearly 25 feet [7.6 m] tall with a diameter of nearly 15 feet [4.6 m]. It is named for William Herschel, the German-born British astronomer who discovered Uranus and infrared radiation. The telescope's three instruments will look into far infrared light wavelengths never before studied, allowing the sensors to see through dust clouds and deep into star-forming regions across the Milky Way and other galaxies.