This European Space Agency (ESA) mission began on May 14, 2009, with the launch of an Ariane 5 rocket carrying the Herschel Space Observatory, and ended in 2013. The Planck mission objectives were to study the cosmic microwave background’s anisotropies and polarization, as well as the birth and evolution of the Universe, and the forms that it might take in the future. Planck carried two instruments: the High Frequency Instrument (HFI) and the Low Frequency Instrument (LFI).
During this mission, the CSA funded quick-look analysis and trending data software, and provided science support for both instruments, along with data reduction and post operations support until 2016.
