Planck

retired

Science ExplorationcislunarCOSPAR 2009-026BLaunched 5/14/2009

Admin Edit

Mission & Launch

Launch Mission: Herschel/Planck
Launch Vehicle: Ariane 5ECA
Launch Date: 5/14/2009
Last Contact: 10/23/2013

Orbit & Mass

Orbit Class: cislunar
Altitude: 567,978.5 km
Inclination: 3.81 deg
Dry Mass: 1,537 kg
Total Mass: 1,921 kg

Payload Classification

Mission Type: Science Exploration
Payload Category: AST
Payload Class: C

Organizations

Operator: European Space Agency (ESA)
Manufacturer: Thales Alenia Space

Registry

COSPAR ID: 2009-026B
UN Registration: ST/SG/SER.E/591

Track

Mentions

7

All verified mentions of this spacecraft in source documents.

ACT's images of polarized light are more sensitive than those of Planck.

CapabilityValue 2.5Nov 30, 2025End of mission for Atacama Cosmology Telescope opens new avenues in cosmology

ACT's polarization maps complement the temperature data from the Planck mission with greater detail.

Capability

General

Value 2.0

Nov 30, 2025

End of mission for Atacama Cosmology Telescope opens new avenues in cosmology

ACT's new data fill gaps left by Planck and help build a more complete view of the early Universe.

CapabilityGeneralValue 1.8Nov 30, 2025End of mission for Atacama Cosmology Telescope opens new avenues in cosmology

ACT has a larger diameter of six meters compared to Planck's one and a half meters.

CapabilityValue 3.5Nov 30, 2025End of mission for Atacama Cosmology Telescope opens new avenues in cosmology

The funding for Germany's contribution to PLATO is provided by the German Space Agency at DLR, through grants from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and base funding from DLR and the Max Planck Society.

FinancialGeneralValue 4.0Jan 31, 2025Europäischer Planetenjäger startet mit einer Ariane 6

Sener Aerospace’s work has supported missions and programs including HRE, SEOSAT/Ingenio, CHIME, LSTM, Hubble, Rosetta, SMOS, Pléiades, Herschel & Planck, JUICE, Athena, Solar Orbiter, Proba-3, Gaia, BepiColombo, ExoMars, Curiosity, Euclid, LISA Pathfinder, MTG, FLEX, LOP Gateway, Mars2020, Earth Explorers, COPERNICUS, and Galileo.

GeneralCapabilityValue 2.3Feb 1, 2023Sener Aerospace’s scanner mechanisms contracted for the Forum mission by ESA

Planck offers AVEM™, a fully integrated mobile tethered sensor platform designed for persistent autonomous operation from moving vehicles and vessels in any environment.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Aug 21, 2022AeroVironment Acquires Planck Aerosystems, Provider of Advanced Unmanned Aircraft Navigation Solutions