The Pilot astrophysics experiment will be launched in a few days under a stratospheric balloon from Alice Springs in central Australia. The aim is to observe the polarization of the emission of dust grains present in the interstellar medium of our Galaxy and nearby galaxies. With a mass of nearly one ton, Pilot uses the largest balloons launched by CNES. It was developed by the Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (CNRS/CNES/Université Paul Sabatier) and the Institut d'astrophysique spatiale (CNRS/Université Paris-Sud) and the Institut de recherche sur les lois fondamentales de l'univers (CEA-Irfu). Pilot has already flown for the first time in September 2015 from Canada, making it its first flight under the southern hemisphere sky, richer in sources of interest to Pilot.
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Click here to read the press release in French on the CEA website
