Journal archive

Journal archive

#8: Successful integration of JUICE's 10.6-metre-long arm
15 April 2021

The development of ESA's JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) is continuing apace and has hit milestones in recent months: the spacecraft's 10.6-metre-long boom is now attached, many instruments have been integrated, and the mission's high-gain antenna has arrived and undergone rigorous vibration testing.

#7: All panels delivered for JUICE's solar wings
16 October 2020

All ten flight model solar panels for ESA's JUICE spacecraft have been delivered to Airbus Defence and Space Netherlands ready to be integrated into solar wings. The solar panels, with a total area of 85 m², are a key element of the mission, providing the necessary power to run the spacecraft and operate the science instruments.

#6: Start of assembly and integration for JUICE
26 June 2020

Despite certain operational difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the assembly and integration of the flight model for ESA's JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft has continued with few delays during the first six months of the year.

#5: JUICE begins to take shape
23 October 2019

The assembly of the flight model of ESA's JUICE spacecraft began in September, with the delivery of the spacecraft's primary structure, followed by integration of the propulsion system that will enable the mission to reach and study Jupiter and its moons.

#5: Electric and magnetic fields under control for Solar Orbiter
23 September 2019

An important stage in the development of ESA's Solar Orbiter mission was completed between May and June, when a series of tests to validate the electromagnetic compatibility and magnetic properties was carried out on the spacecraft's flight model.

#4: Simulating zero gravity
2 August 2019Like most spacecraft, ESA's Solar Orbiter carries a number of deployable structures that play key roles in the success of its mission. Earlier this year, engineers completed a series of deployment tests on the spacecraft's antennas, instrument boom and solar arrays.
#17: Practice makes perfect for CHEOPS inflight operations
25 June 2019It takes collaboration and teamwork to operate a spacecraft. As the CHEOPS launch approaches, a Europe-wide team is preparing to take control of inflight activities once the satellite is in space.
#3: Good vibes for Solar Orbiter
1 April 2019Having successfully completed its thermal-vacuum tests in December, Solar Orbiter has been subjected to a new series of arduous environmental tests at the IABG facility in Ottobrunn, Germany, including intense shaking of the spacecraft to ensure that it will survive the stress of launch.
#16: CHEOPS is ready for flight
11 March 2019Recent months on the CHEOPS mission have seen the completion of spacecraft testing and the conclusion of a very important review, which determined that the satellite is ready to fly.
#15: A jigsaw falling into place: CHEOPS end-to-end testing complete
12 February 2019After a successful series of tests, the team that will operate the CHEOPS mission is ready for the activities to follow the satellite launch later this year.
#2: Solar Orbiter receives its sunblock
14 December 2018It's testing time for ESA's Solar Orbiter: after leaving the premises of prime contractor Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage, UK in September, the spacecraft has started its test campaign at the IABG facility in Ottobrunn, Germany.
#4: JUICE engineering model ready for testing
11 December 2018The JUICE engineering model spacecraft test readiness review was completed successfully on 2 October, and the first engineering model instruments are now being delivered and tested.
#3: A testing time for RIME
12 November 2018In September, ESA engineers put a scale model of JUICE's RIME antenna – Radar for Icy Moons Exploration – through its paces at ESA's technical centre in The Netherlands.
#2: Thermal testing of the magnetometer boom
6 November 2018During August, the JUICE Test Campaign switched to thermal tests of a Structural and Thermal Model (STM) of a segment of the magnetometer boom, equipped with five STMs of the scientific sensors.
#14: CHEOPS - withstanding the sound of launch and avoiding radio interference
17 October 2018For the CHEOPS mission, September was a busy month of acoustic noise testing and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) testing at ESA's technical centre in the Netherlands.
#1: Antenna's European journey to join Solar Orbiter
20 September 2018On any spacecraft, the antennas are key pieces of hardware, being the all-important links with Earth. After several years of development, the main communications dish on ESA's Solar Orbiter is now ready to be integrated with the pioneering spacecraft.
#13: CHEOPS – chilled and checked, shaken and not stirred
31 August 2018This summer, the CHEOPS satellite breezed through thermal tests in France and vibration tests in Switzerland, demonstrating that it is ready to operate in the extreme cold of space and also fit to withstand the mechanical stresses of launch.
#12: From star positions to images: CHEOPS operations centres pull together
5 July 2018The latest CHEOPS test campaign can be thought of as the first full dress rehearsal for in-flight mission operations.
#1: JUICE comes in from extreme temperature test
7 June 2018This is the first entry in the JUICE Test Campaign Journal, a series of articles covering the main events during testing of the Thermal Development Model (TDM), the Engineering Model (EM) and the Proto-Flight Model (PFM) of the spacecraft. The mission is scheduled to launch in 2022 to investigate the Jupiter system.
#14: Tests, moving to a new home, and more tests
4 June 2018In the last year, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and in particular the telescope and the instruments have passed some key milestones on their road towards launch, now planned for 2020.
1-Jun-2024 09:20 UT

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