European telescopes on cosmos birth study expedition launched

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Two European Space
Agency spacecraft lifted off this week on a mission to gather fundamental new
insights into the nature of the universe.

The two spacecraft - an infrared space telescope
"Herschel" and a cosmic background mapper "Planck" were launched Thursday
from French Guiana.

The craftswill focus on the darkest, coldest
and oldest parts of the universe to study dark matter, and to learn more about
the birth of stars and galaxies. Theyare designed to help scientists
unravel the mysteries of the theoretical Big Bang by peering back into the
earliest moments of the universe.

Jean-Yves Le Gall, chairman and CEO of French
satellite launcher Arianespace said:" Herschel and Planck will enable us to go
very far back in time, to the origins of our universe and it is only by better
understanding our universe's overall past that we can help to better define the
future of our planet, the Earth, not as a self-standing celestial body but as an
integral part of the whole system,"

Both crafts separated from the rocket about 10
minutes after the launch. Each sent their first radio transmissions back to
Earth less than 40 minutes after launch. The signals were received by the
European Space Agency's 35-m deep space antenna at New Norcia, Australia.

(Agencies)