BepiColombo (MPO+MMO) - Ariane 5 ECA (VA245) - Kourou ELA-3 - 20.10.2018 - 04:45:35 ДМВ

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Bepi‏ @ESA_Bepi

В ответ @JAXA_MMO

Hi @JAXA_MMO! I hope you and @ESA_MTM had a good flight together! I found a great spot in the #Spaceport!


5:26 - 4 мая 2018 г.

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Bepi‏ @ESA_Bepi 42 мин. назад

So far so good... but our human friends do a lot of talking about us! (I only listened in a little bit!! )

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MMO‏ @JAXA_MMO 5 ч. назад

お部屋に入れてもらったよ！外はちょっと蒸し暑いけど、部屋の中は快適～！

Get out of the container and now in the confortable room!

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BepiColombo‏Подлинная учетная запись @BepiColombo 3 ч.3 часа назад


The fourth and final Antonov cargo plane carrying our #Bepicolombo gear just took off from @Schiphol, destination: #Spaceport Kourou! And once again flying over our colleagues at ESA #ESTEC

Борт авиакомпании "Волга-Днепр" (рейс VDA4202) приземлился в аэропорту Santa-Maria в 22:20МСК.

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To Mercury, via Europe's Spaceport!

European Space Agency, ESA

Опубликовано: 11 мая 2018 г.

Activities surrounding the departure of ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) of the joint ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission to Mercury, fr om ESA's technical heart in the Netherlands to Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

The video features the final preparations of the MPO in the ESA cleanroom, including removal of ground support equipment from a science instrument, and sealing the module inside its shipping container. The containers travelled by road to Amsterdam Schiphol airport, wh ere they boarded an Antonov cargo plane for transport to French Guiana.

Three additional cargo planes carried JAXA's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter and ESA's Mercury Transfer Module, along with the spacecraft solar arrays, sunshield, and essential ground support equipment to the Spaceport.

The upcoming launch window is open 5 October – 29 November 2018.

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http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/BepiColombo/BepiColombo_arrives_at_Europe_s_Spaceport

To Mercury, via Europe's Spaceport!

BEPICOLOMBO ARRIVES AT EUROPE'S SPACEPORT

11 May 2018
The spacecraft of the BepiColombo mission to Mercury have arrived safely at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, marking the start of six months of preparation to ready the craft for launch.

The joint ESA-JAXA mission, which comprises three spacecraft modules and a sunshield, were transported fr om their home base in ESA's technical heart in the Netherlands by road to Amsterdam Schiphol airport. They were flown to Kourou, French Guiana, on a series of four Antonov cargo aircraft over the last two weeks.

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MPO unpacked at Europe's Spaceport

They were accompanied by approximately 40 containers of essential ground-support equipment, hardware, and other loose items needed for the pre-launch testing and configuring the spacecraft at the launch facility. Another 15 containers travelled by sea.

The shipments also included personal items: many of the team will be spending much of the next six months away from home, dedicated to preparing the mission for launch.

Amongst the first tasks at the Spaceport were setting up offices and control rooms, and establishing network connections to support remote links for teams elsewh ere in the world to interface with the test equipment that will be connected to the spacecraft.

The readiness of the cleanrooms in the satellite preparation facility was also verified.


MMO unpacked at Europe's Spaceport

Once the spacecraft arrived, their containers were opened and the modules lifted out on their respective multi-purpose trolleys for inspection, to confirm that no problems arose from the transport. The spacecraft were also switched on and batteries tested, and the various mechanical and electrical ground support systems installed.

Over the next six months activities will include attaching the solar wings to the modules and their deployment mechanisms tested, dressing the spacecraft in protective insulation to prepare for the harsh space environment and extreme temperatures they will experience operating close to the Sun, installing the sunshield, conducting pressure tests, fuelling, and connecting the three spacecraft together.

The ESA Mercury Planetary Orbiter and the JAXA Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter will travel together to the innermost planet, carried by ESA's Mercury Transfer Module.

The final weeks will see the completed spacecraft stack inside the Ariane 5 rocket fairing, and preparing the launch vehicle itself, ready to blast the mission on a seven-year journey around the inner Solar System to reach Mercury and start investigating its mysteries.

The upcoming launch window opens on 5 October and closes 29 November 2018.


BepiColombo at Mercury

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One step closer to Mercury!

European Space Agency, ESA

Опубликовано: 22 мая 2018 г.

BepiColombo is one step closer to Mercury!

The component parts of BepiColombo, the European Space Agency's first mission to Mercury, have been delivered to the launch site in French Guiana by air, sea and road.

The joint mission between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) consists of two orbiters and one transfer module. It required 70 shipping containers and four cargo planes to ensure it was safely delivered to the European Spaceport at Kourou.

Everything will now be unpacked and re-assembled, together with the addition of solar panels, before launching to Mercury later this year.

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http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2018/05/BepiColombo_unpacked_at_the_Spaceport

BEPICOLOMBO UNPACKED AT THE SPACEPORT



DOWNLOAD HI-RES JPG (6.01 MB)

DETAILS 

Title BepiColombo unpacked at the Spaceport
Released 28/05/2018 11:00 am
Copyright ESA/JAXA–G.Murakami
Description

The three modules of the ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission to Mercury are pictured here shortly after being unpacked at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Centre stage is the eight-sided Japanese module, the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO), with its white high-gain antenna seen at the top of the module, tilted upward; the antenna will be used to communicate with ground-stations on Earth. To the right is ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) – currently without its protective insulation blankets. Together the two science orbiters will conduct the most detailed scientific investigation of Mercury and its environment than ever before achieved.

The two orbiters will be carried to the innermost planet by the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), which can be seen in the background to the left. The solar arrays that will provide solar power to the spacecraft will be attached later.

Following the unpacking of the spacecraft at the Spaceport, each module was examined thoroughly to check that they did not suffer any damage during the transport from Europe to South America, and that everything remains aligned and functioning correctly.

Individual units on the MPO and MTM – such as batteries and a power unit – have also been inspected and added to the spacecraft. The two modules were also connected with cables for electrical checks ­– they will be mechanically attached closer to launch later this year.

Id 394562

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http://www.arianespace.com/mission-update/bepicolombo-preparations/

Ariane 5 | June 5, 2018

Payload preparations advance for Arianespace's Ariane 5 flight with BepiColombo


BepiColombo's Mercury Planetary Orbiter and Mercury Transfer Module undergo electrical testing during activity at the Spaceport.

The multi-month payload preparation phase is making progress for the upcoming BepiColombo mission to planet Mercury, which will be launched later this year on an Arianespace Ariane 5 flight from the Spaceport.

BepiColombo was developed in a joint effort of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). It comprises three spacecraft modules and a sunshield, which were delivered along with ground support equipment and other essential hardware during a series of cargo flights in April and May.

Following their arrival in French Guiana and subsequent transfer by road to the Spaceport's S5 payload preparation facility, the modules – including the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO) and Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) – were removed from their protective shipping containers for inspection. Afterward, they were switched on and battery tested, then fitted with mechanical and electrical ground support systems.

Deep space exploration for BepiColombo

Additional activities to be performed include attaching solar wings to the three modules and testing their deployment mechanisms, dressing the spacecraft in protective insulation, installing the sunshield, conducting pressure tests, fueling and integration.

The BepiColombo mission is designed to study and understand Mercury's composition, geophysics, atmosphere, magnetosphere and history. After arriving at Mercury in late 2025, BepiColombo will have a nominal one-year duration with the possibility for an extension.

Ariane 5's launch of BepiColombo – which gets its name from Italian Professor Giuseppe (Bepi) Colombo – is designated VA245 in Arianespace's launcher family numbering system.

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MMO‏ @JAXA_MMO 50 мин. назад

I got new name, "MIO" (みお)！！ Cool and cute, so love it！

Thank you for voting and giving me many messages！

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BepiColombo‏Подлинная учетная запись @BepiColombo 2 ч. назад

Congratulations @JAXA_MMO on your new name "Mio"! Linked to Japanese meaning of waterways, Mio will 'sail' the solar wind around Mercury & explore the planet's magnetosphere. (Press release in Japanese )

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Elizabeth Tasker‏ @girlandkat 8 июн.


JAXA's @BepiColombo probe, @jaxa_mmo, has been named "Mio" meaning 'waterway' in Japanese. Mio will explore a similar flow of the solar wind in the magnetosphere of Mercury.

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Bepi‏ @ESA_Bepi 7 ч. назад

It's really busy here at the #Spaceport Here's me being fitted with my hand-sewn high-temperature suit that will help protect me from the extreme thermal conditions at Mercury Read more:

http://ow.ly/TIwR30ksgxT 

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Bepi‏ @ESA_Bepi 4 ч. назад

That's me on the left, before my thermal suit was fitted! @ESA_MTM is the one on the right (we get our solar wings fitted later)

Bepi‏ @ESA_Bepi 4 ч. назад

Here's a photo of a test we did not long after arriving at the #Spaceport showing me and @ESA_MTM linked up with cables to configure and test some of our electric connections More photos: http://ow.ly/dQDI30ktu9I 

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BepiColombo‏Подлинная учетная запись @BepiColombo 2 ч. назад

Photo update from the #Spaceport: setting up the rig needed for solar array deployment tests. Quite some logistics to maximise cleanroom layout! @ESA_MTM's solar arrays reach ~14 m either side of the spacecraft, while @ESA_Bepi's array is 7.5 m long http://ow.ly/qVqX30kB2Sa 

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Bepi‏ @ESA_Bepi 15 июн.

Dreaming of the plasma science me & @JAXA_MMO will be doing at #Mercury with this great new #dataviz of #space plasma environments across the Solar System Find out more: http://ow.ly/KVb330kvEek  via @esascience


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Bepi‏ @ESA_Bepi 20 июн.

Excited! Engineers are inspecting my radiator fins before they get attached! The radiator will reflect heat away that comes from Mercury, as well as help carry away heat generated by my subsystems http://ow.ly/U6f930kzUa7 

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Bepi‏ @ESA_Bepi 22 июн.

Looks like @ESA_MTM is happy to get thermal blankets fitted, too, ready for our journey closer to the Sun!

MTM‏ @ESA_MTM 22 июн.

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Bepi‏ @ESA_Bepi 22 июн.

The sunshield is also looking good! I see @ESA_MTM is keeping an eye on it in this photo! It will keep @JAXA_MMO safe from too much Sun on our way to Mercury; once at the planet Mio will spin around to distribute the heat http://ow.ly/LfmX30kCh00 

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BepiColombo launch to Mercury

European Space Agency, ESA

Опубликовано: 25 июн. 2018 г.

Enjoy this animation visualising BepiColombo's launch and cruise to Mercury. Some aspects have been simplified for the purpose of this animation.

The joint ESA-JAXA mission comprises the European Mercury Planetary Orbiter and Japan's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, which will be transported to the innermost planet by the Mercury Transfer Module. The animation highlights several key milestones, including the solar array and antenna deployments once in space, through to the arrival at Mercury seven years later. When approaching Mercury, the transfer module will separate and the two science orbiters, still together, will be captured into orbit around the planet. Their altitude will be adjusted until the Magnetospheric Orbiter's desired orbit is reached. Then the Planetary Orbiter will separate and descend to its lower orbit, and the two craft will begin their scientific exploration of Mercury and its environment.

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