The Scientific Program Committee of the European Space Agency (ESA) confirmed in 1997 the HERSCHEL mission as the 4^th cornerstone in the Horizon 2000 science plan. This submillimeter astronomical program is realized in collaboration with NASA.

The main objective of this mission is to answer the main questions such as: how were formed the galaxies at the beginning of the universe, how the stars were formed all along the universe history and what are the interrelation between the two?

To answer these question the HERSCHEL satellite

will carry 3 scientific instruments in a cryostat full of superfluid liquid helium based on ISO technology already successfully used;
will have a Ritchey-Chrétien telescope with a primary mirror diameter of 3.5 metres, which will be provided by ESA;
will operate from an orbit around the Lagrange L2 point which is located 1.5 million km antisunwards away from the Earth;
will have an operational lifetime of minimum three years.