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| #04: Structural model of the BepiColombo Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter at ESTEC |
| The BepiColombo Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter Structural Model arrived at ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre in the Netherlands on 7 November 2011, having been flown from Japan. In the coming weeks, the four components that make up the Mercury Composite Spacecraft will be prepared for integration into their launch configuration in preparation for an acoustic and mechanical test campaign. |
| Date: 07 Dec 2011 |
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| #02: Gaia sunshield deployment test |
| Deployment testing of the Gaia Flight Model Deployable Sunshield Assembly has been successfully completed in preparation for the spacecraft mechanical test campaign. |
| Date: 02 Dec 2011 |
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| #03: Mercury Planetary Orbiter takes a simulated trip to the innermost planet |
| Thermal-balance testing of the BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter Structural and Thermal Model, which has been under way in ESA's Large Space Simulator since 20 September, has been successfully completed. During these tests the conditions the spacecraft will encounter during the cruise to Mercury and while in orbit have been simulated, and a number of tests to characterise the spacecraft performance under some worst-case scenarios have been carried out. |
| Date: 12 Oct 2011 |
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| #02: Mercury Planetary Orbiter wraps up for hot work |
| The installation of high-temperature thermal blankets on the Structural and Thermal Model of the BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter has been completed. The spacecraft has been mounted on its Thermal Test Adapter and transferred to the Large Space Simulator in preparation for thermal-balance testing. |
| Date: 05 Sep 2011 |
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| #01: Payload Module vibration testing completed |
| This is the first entry in the Gaia Test Campaign Journal, a series of articles covering the main events during the integration and testing of the Structural Model (SM) and the Proto-Flight Model (PFM) of the Gaia spacecraft. The journal is expected to run until the completion of PFM testing; shortly after this, the Gaia Launch Campaign Journal will begin. |
| Date: 23 Aug 2011 |
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| #01: Structural and Thermal Model of the Mercury Planetary Orbiter arrives at ESTEC |
This is the first entry in the BepiColombo Test Campaign Journal, a series of articles covering the main events during the integration and testing of the Structural and Thermal Models (STM) and the Proto-Flight Models (PFM) of the four major components that make up the BepiColombo composite spacecraft stack. The journal is expected to run until the completion of PFM testing in the fourth quarter of 2013; shortly after this, the BepiColombo Launch Campaign Journal will begin. |
| Date: 05 Aug 2011 |
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