|
|
| Planck mated with the Ariane 5 ECA launcher |
This is the final entry in the Planck Launch Campaign journal series, which ran from February 2009 until just before launch in May 2009. The journal covered the main activities during the period leading up to launch: from the shipment of the spacecraft to the launch site in Kourou, to the final integration of the spacecraft with the launcher. This journal series followed the Planck Test Campaign journal series, which ran from September 2005 to November 2008 (see link in right-hand menu).
The Planck spacecraft has been mated with the Ariane 5 ECA launcher on 23 April 2009. After the successful fuelling of the Planck spacecraft in the S5A building a week earlier, the spacecraft was transferred to the final assembly building (Bâtiment d'Assemblage Final, or BAF) in the evening on 22 April. There it has been integrated on top of the launcher rocket that will place both the Planck and the Herschel spacecraft in their trajectories to L2. |
| Date: 29 Apr 2009 |
|
|
| Helium for the Herschel cryostat |
| One of the last activities to take place in S5B is the filling of the Herschel cryostat with liquid helium and its conversion into superfluid helium-II. The primary objective of achieving a full cryostat, above 95%, with a helium temperature below 1.7 Kelvin was reached on Friday 25 April and the activities now focus on maintaining the good helium conditions until the spacecraft can be moved to the Final Assembly Building (BAF) for integration with the launcher. |
| Date: 28 Apr 2009 |
|
|
| Fuelling of the Planck spacecraft |
| Fuelling operations for the Planck spacecraft have been successfully completed last week. The filling of the propellant tanks with hydrazine liquid was performed in the S5A building at the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) launch site on 15 and 16 April. |
| Date: 20 Apr 2009 |
|
|
| Herschel spacecraft is fully fuelled |
| The Herschel fuelling procedure has been successfully completed - the reaction control system tanks are now fully loaded with 256 kg of hydrazine liquid. |
| Date: 15 Apr 2009 |
|
|
| Planck activities completed in S1B cleanroom - spacecraft ready to move to fuelling facility |
| The past four weeks have been dedicated to the final Planck spacecraft preparations in the S1B cleanroom. The spacecraft is now ready to move to the S5A building for fuelling. |
| Date: 14 Apr 2009 |
|
|
| Herschel spacecraft ready for fuelling |
| Having completed all functional tests the Herschel spacecraft has been moved from the S1B building to the S5B building where the hydrazine fuelling activities will be performed. Everything is in place for fuelling to be completed this week. |
| Date: 09 Apr 2009 |
|
|
