European Space Agency’s gravity probe leaves UK for final tests before launch

Pioneering UK-led gravity probe is designed to open a unique window on the universe but the technology can only be tested in space. Fingers crossed for LISA-Pathfinder

"This is the first of a new breed of spacecraft," says Cesar Garcia, Esa Project manager for the LISA-Pathfinder mission, "It is exquisite."

He is speaking to me in the giant cleanroom at Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage. On Friday 27 February, LISA-Pathfinder was painstakingly lifted onto its propulsion module, and secured in place. Over the weekend, the whole assembly was packaged in a high-tech shipping crate and is now on its way to IABG (Industrieanlagen Betriebsgesellschaft), near Munich, Germany, for final work.