[meteorite-list] BepiColombo Integration and Functional Testing Completed

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 12:01:11 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <201407241901.s6OJ1B64012010_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://sci.esa.int/bepicolombo/54364-13-bepicolombo-integration-and-functional-testing-completed-at-thales-alenia-space-in-turin/

#13: BepiColombo integration and functional testing completed at Thales Alenia Space in Turin
European Space Agency
21 July 2014

Integration and functional testing activities for the protoflight
models of the BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter, Mercury
Transfer Module, and Magnetospheric Orbiter Sunshield and
Interface Structure have now been completed at the Thales Alenia
Space facility in Turin, Italy. All the mission components have
been, or will soon be, delivered to ESA's European Space Research
and Technology Centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, where
additional integration tasks and an environmental testing campaign
will be performed.

On 4 July 2014, a press event was held at the Turin facility of
Thales Alenia Space (TAS-I) to mark the completion of a shipment
readiness review held before the ProtoFlight Models (PFMs) of the
BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), Mercury Transfer
Module (MTM), and Magnetospheric Orbiter Sunshield and Interface
Structure (MOSIF) were prepared for transport to ESA's European
Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the
Netherlands. At ESTEC, final integration tasks and then
environmental testing will be performed.

The MTM and MOSIF left Turin on the evening of 7 July and arrived
at ESTEC during the night of 10/11 July. The MPO is scheduled to
leave on 4 August and arrive on 7/8 August.

The MTM was delivered to TAS-I by Astrium UK (now Airbus Defence
and Space). As supplied, it consisted of the mechanical spacecraft
bus and the chemical propulsion system. The MTM radiator panels
were removed from the central structure and the module has been
equipped with the rest of its subsystems while in Turin. However,
for the electrical propulsion subsystem, the relevant high voltage
harness and electronic units are still representative dummy
models, used to confirm the routing of the harness. While the
spacecraft is at ESTEC, these will be replaced with the flight
units and the four electric thrusters will be installed on the
thruster pointing mechanisms already integrated on the MTM
thruster floor. Once this has been completed, the thermal blankets
will be fitted, prior to a Thermal Balance/Thermal Vacuum (TB/TV)
test in ESTEC's Large Space Simulator (LSS) during the first half
of 2015.

Magnetospheric Orbiter Sunshield and Interface Structure

Integration of the MOSIF structure and harness has been completed
in Turin. The thermal protection will be integrated while it is at
ESTEC, in readiness for testing as part of the complete spacecraft
stack.

Last year, the MPO was transported to TAS-I from ESTEC, where it
had been baked out to remove potential contaminants after having
been assembled by Astrium UK. As delivered, it consisted of the
spacecraft mechanical bus with the heat pipes and chemical
propulsion system installed. Nearly all of its other subsystems
and payload components have been integrated and tested while it
has been in Turin. Once it arrives back at ESTEC next month, some
final integration tasks will be completed and installation of the
thermal blankets will be finalised. Later this year, it will
undergo TB/TV testing in the LSS.

About BepiColombo

BepiColombo is Europe's first mission to Mercury. It is scheduled
to launch in July 2016 and arrive at Mercury in January 2024. It
will endure temperatures in excess of 350 ??C and gather data
during a one-year nominal mission, with a possible one-year
extension. The mission comprises two spacecraft: the Mercury
Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter
(MMO). During the journey to Mercury, the MMO will be shielded
from the Sun by the Magnetospheric Orbiter Sunshield and Interface
Structure (MOSIF), which also provides the interface between the
MMO and the MPO. The fourth component of the composite spacecraft
stack is the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), whose primary task is
to provide solar-electric propulsion for the journey to Mercury.

BepiColombo is a joint mission by ESA and the Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency (JAXA), executed under ESA leadership. The
Prime Contractor for BepiColombo is Airbus Defence and Space
(formerly Astrium GmbH).
Received on Thu 24 Jul 2014 03:01:11 PM PDT