This image may not be used to state or imply ESA endorsement of any company or product Planck space observatory preparations. This unmanned spacecraft

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This image may not be used to state or imply ESA endorsement of any company or product Planck space observatory preparations. This unmanned spacecraft, launched on 14 May 2009, is designed to study the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the radiation left over from the Big Bang. Here, the spacecraft is on display at the Thales Alenia Space facility in Cannes, France, on 1 February 2007. Thales Alenia Space is the main contractor for building the Planck space observatory.

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Photo credit: © EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
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