ESA reentry vehicle on track for flight in 2013

ESA logo.

21 June 2011

ESA and Thales Alenia Space Italia announced an agreement today at the Paris Air & Space Show to begin building the IXV Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle for its mission into space in 2013.

Europe’s ambition for a spacecraft to return autonomously from low orbit is a cornerstone for a wide range of space applications, including space transportation, exploration and robotic servicing of space infrastructure.

IXV Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle

This goal will be achieved with IXV, which is the next step from the Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator flight of 1998. More manoeuvrable and able to make precise landings, IXV is the ‘intermediate’ element of Europe’s path to future developments with limited risks. 

Launched into a suborbital trajectory on ESA’s small Vega rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, IXV will return to Earth as if from a low-orbit mission, to test and qualify new European critical reentry technologies such as advanced ceramic and ablative thermal protection.

The 2 t lifting body will attain an altitude of around 450 km, allowing it to reach a velocity of 7.5 km/s on entering the atmosphere. It will collect a large amount of data during its hypersonic and supersonic flight, while it is being controlled by thrusters and aerodynamic flaps.

IXV launched into space

The craft will then descend by parachute and land in the Pacific Ocean to await recovery and analysis.

The detailed design and critical technologies are ready. Today’s agreement allows the vehicle’s manufacturing, assembly, integration and qualification to begin.

Procurement of the ground network will also begin, including the mission control centre, ground station telemetry kits, transportable antennas and communication network.

Formal approval for signing the contract will come at the end of June from ESA’s Industrial Policy Committee.

Signature of agreement to build IXV

“Less than two years after the Agency requested industry to quote the activities for IXV, the progress made is remarkable. The achievement of major milestones, such as the Critical Design Review, gives us the confidence to believe that the vehicle will be ready in two years,” says Antonio Fabrizi, ESA Director of Launchers.

“Today’s agreement confirms that ESA and industry are committed to keep up with the challenging schedule and be ready for flight in 2013.”

“Thanks to this agreement, the IXV mission into space has become a near-term reality. Its success will provide Europe with valuable know-how on reentry systems and flight-proven technologies that are necessary to support the Agency’s future ambitions, including return missions from low Earth orbit,” says Giorgio Tumino, IXV Project Manager.

 

ESA's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle

“In the long term, studies on the evolution of IXV will be consolidated and proposed to Member States, focusing on an affordable reusable craft for operating and servicing payloads in orbit before returning to touch down on land.”

Related link:

Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV): http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Launchers_Technology/SEMDPQ2PGQD_0.html

Images, Video, Text, Credits: ESA / J.Huart / S. Corvaja.

Cheers, Orbiter.ch

Galileo’s Soyuz launchers arrive at French Guiana

ESA - GALILEO logo / Roscosmos - Soyuz at CSG (Kourou) patch.

21 June 2011

The two Soyuz launchers that will fly the first four satellites of Europe’s Galileo navigation system into orbit have arrived at Kourou harbour in French Guiana, completing a journey that took them halfway round the world.

The first two Galileo In Orbit Validation satellites are set to be launched from Europe’s Spaceport on 20 October, with two more following them into orbit by mid-2012.

The October launch will be the first flight of a Soyuz rocket from French Guiana. 

 Soyuz rockets being unloaded

The two Soyuz ST-B launchers and their Fregat-MT upper stages were carried across the Atlantic aboard Arianespace vessel MN Colibri, arriving on 18 June.

The rocket hardware left by train from the Soyuz manufacturing plant in Samara, Russia and the Fregat factory in Moscow to St Petersburg harbour, where it was loaded for shipment, leaving on 3 June for French Guiana.

First Soyuz launch this October

The next step will be the Launcher Flight Readiness Review, due to take place on 21 July. Authorisation will then be given to begin assembling the rocket hardware and deployingthe initial Soyuz ST-B launcher for the first Galileo campaign.

The first two Galileo satellites – known as PFM and FM2, for Protoflight Model and Flight Model 2 – are currently undergoing their final qualification and acceptance tests at Thales Alenia Space in Rome, Italy.

Soyuz ST-B launchers at Kourou harbour

Once Satellite Flight Readiness Review has given the green light, both satellites and their ground equipment and launch teams will arrive at the beginning of September for the launch campaign.

Soyuz ST-B is the most powerful version of the famous Soyuz launcher, while the Fregat-MT is an upgraded version of the Fregat upper stage.

Soyuz on pad in dry run for launch

Other Soyuz hardware is already in storage at Kourou but only the combination of Soyuz ST-B and Fregat-MT was up to the demanding task of conveying the Galileo satellites into their circular 23 222 km orbits.

A European dispenser will hold the satellites in place as they share their ride to orbit, and then release them into their final orbits.

Baseline versions of the reignitable Fregat were previously employed to deliver ESA’s GIOVE-A and -B experimental satellites in 2006 and 2008, which secured the rights to Galileo’s radio frequencies. Fregat-MT carries an additional 900 kg of propellants for its double-satellite load.

Soyuz from French Guiana

October’s launch will be a historic occasion, the first time that a Soyuz launcher lifts off from a spaceport other than Baikonur in Kazakhstan or Plesetsk in Russia.

Because French Guiana is so close to the equator each launch will benefit from Earth’s spin, increasing the maximum payload to geostationary transfer orbit from 1.7 tonnes to three tonnes. As a medium-class launcher, Soyuz will complement Ariane and Vega to enhance the flexibility and competitiveness of Europe’s launcher family.

Soyuz transported to pad in mobile gantry

Each three-stage rocket will be assembled horizontally in the traditional Russian manner, transferred to the launch site and moved to the vertical so that its payload can be mated onto it from above. A new mobile launch gantry enables this process, while protecting the satellites and the launcher from the humid tropical environment.

Fully assembled Soyuz at Europe's Space Port

Galileo IOV

These first four Galileo satellites will form the operational nucleus of the full Galileo satnav constellation.

First two Galileo IOV satellites

They are fully representative of the others that will follow them into orbit, combining the best atomic clock ever flown for navigation – accurate to one second in three million years – with a powerful transmitter to broadcast precise navigation data worldwide.

Related links:

Arianespace: http://www.arianespace.com/index/index.asp

Roscosmos: http://www.roscosmos.ru/main.php?lang=en

Soyuz: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Launchers_Access_to_Space/SEM6JRS4LZE_0.html

Galileo: http://www.esa.int/esaNA/galileo.html

Images, Video, Text, Credits: ESA / D. Ducros / S. Corvaja / P. Carril / Arianespace.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Johannes Kepler has left the Station

ESA - ATV-2 Johannes Kepler Mission patch.

20 June 2011

Europe’s Johannes Kepler ATV cargo ferry undocked from the International Space Station today at 14:46:30 GMT (16:46:30 CEST). The craft is now leaving the orbital outpost far behind and will end its mission on Tuesday evening as a shooting star over the Pacific Ocean.

After spending almost four months as an important part of the International Space Station, ESA’s second Automated Transfer Vehicle is ending its days as a rubbish truck – another critical role because the 1200 kg of waste bags and discarded equipment cannot just be thrown out of the Station.

ATV after undocking

The crew closed the hatches between the two vehicles on Sunday afternoon at 15:30 GMT (17:30 CEST).

Undocking came today, with ATV’s thrusters gently increasing the distance from the outpost, towards a path leading to its deliberate destruction. Before the undocking, all electical and data connections between the two spacecraft were disconnected at 14:39 GMT (16:39 CEST).

ATV Johannes Kepler delivered more than seven tonnes of dry cargo, propellants and air in February.

ATV’s last major job was to boost the complex to a higher orbit. The vehicle also assisted Station attitude control several times during its mission.

Fireball over the Pacific

Tomorrow, Johannes Kepler will fire its engines twice to descend from orbit.

The first burn, at 17:07 GMT (19:07 CEST), will drop it towards Earth. The second burn, at 20:52 GMT (22:52 CEST), will direct it precisely towards its South Pacific target.

This area is used for controlled reentries of spacecraft because it is uninhabited and outside shipping lanes and airplane routes. Extensive analysis by ESA specialists will ensure that the trajectory stays within safe limits.

ATV Contol Centre preparing for undocking

The same area was also used for the descents of ATV-1 in September 2008 and Russia’s Mir space station in 2001.

Air and sea traffic has been warned and a no-fly zone will prevent any accidents.

The 14-tonne ATV is now empty of hazardous materials and it will almost completely burn up – like a meteor, hitting the atmosphere at high speed.

Each year, about 40 000 tonnes of meteoroids and interplanetary dust fall to Earth with no ill effect.

End of the ATV-1 over Pacific, 2008

The freighter will hit the outer layers of the atmosphere at an altitude of about 100 km. It will start tumbling at about 20:24 GMT (22:24 CEST), disintegrate, burn and any remains will strike the ocean at around 20:59 GMT (22:59 CEST).

Only a few hardy pieces might survive the fiery reentry and splash harmlessly into the ocean.

Last call home

The last moments of Johannes Kepler will be carefully captured by its Reentry Breakup Recorder, collecting information on its position, attitude, temperature, pressure and other aspects of its breakup.

The 9 kg ‘black box’ will start recording automatically for ATV’s last five minutes.

Heatshield of a Reentry Breakup Recorder

It will then be jettisoned, protected by its own heatshield. At an altitude of 18 km it will transmit the stored data via the Iridium satphone system for analysis. The recorder will not be recovered.

Some aspects of controlled destructive entries are still not well known so all in-situ measurements are welcome.

Similar recorders may be used in future on satellites and spacecraft like black boxes on aircraft.

Related links:

International Space Station: http://www.esa.int/esaHS/iss.html

EADS Astrium: http://www.astrium.eads.net/

Arianespace: http://www.arianespace.com/index/index.asp

Images, Text, Credits: ESA / J. Makinen / NASA / The Aerospace Corporation.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Cassini Captures Ice Queen Helene

NASA - Cassini Insider's Mission patch.

20 June 2011

NASA's Cassini spacecraft successfully completed its second-closest encounter with Saturn's icy moon Helene on June 18, 2011, beaming down raw images of the small moon. At closest approach, Cassini flew within 4,330 miles (6,968 kilometers) of Helene's surface. It was the second closest approach to Helene of the entire mission.

Image, Text, Credits: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute.

Cheers, Orbiter.ch

ATV preparing for fiery destruction

ESA - ATV-2 Johannes Kepler Mission patch.

17 June 2011

ATV Johannes Kepler has been an important part of the International Space Station since February. Next week, it will complete its mission by undocking and burning up harmlessly in the atmosphere high over an uninhabited area of the Pacific Ocean.

Serving the International Space Station is a valuable job but it will come to a spectacular end: ESA’s second Automated Transfer Vehicle, packed with Station rubbish, will deliberately plummet to its destruction on Tuesday in Earth’s atmosphere.

Just like the tonnes of natural space debris that collide with our planet every day, the 10-tonne ferry will burn up on reentry.

ATV Jules Verne after undocking, 2008

Only a few hardy pieces might survive and splash into the uninhabited South Pacific. The area’s air and sea traffic has been warned and a no-fly zone will prevent any accidents.

The racks inside ATV have been filled with some 1200 kg of waste bags and unwanted hardware by the crew.

Mission so far

ATV Johannes Kepler delivered about seven tonnes of much-needed supplies to the Space Station, including 1170 kg of dry cargo, 100 kg of oxygen, 851 kg of propellants to replenish the Station tanks and 4535 kg of fuel for the ferry itself to boost the outpost’s altitude and make other adjustments.

Nespoli and Kaleri working in ATV-2

ATV-2 manoeuvred the complex on 2 April to avoid a collision with space debris.

During the hectic mission of Johannes Kepler, two Space Shuttles and Japan’s HTV cargo carrier visited the Station, along with two Progress and Soyuz spacecraft. These required several changes of Station attitude, mostly controlled by ATV’s thrusters.

Big boosts and preparations for dive

ATV’s last important task was to give the Station’s orbit a big boost. One important sequence was performed 12 June, another on 15 June and the last one this afternoon, 17 June.

The combined effect of these manoeuvres was to raise the Station’s orbit to around 380 km.

ATV animation

The crew will close the hatches between the Station and ATV-2 on Sunday afternoon at 15:30 GMT (17:30 CEST). Undocking follows on Monday, at 14:51 GMT (16:51 CEST), with ATV’s thrusters gently increasing the distance from the outpost.

On 21 June, Johannes Kepler will fire its engines twice to descend from orbit.

The first burn, at 17:07 GMT (19:07 CEST) will drop it towards Earth. The second burn, at 20:05 GMT (22:05 CEST), will direct it precisely towards its Pacific target.

Hitting the upper atmosphere, ATV will tumble, disintegrate and burn, and any remains will strike the ocean at around 20:50 GMT (22:50 CEST).

Useful up to last moments

Some aspects of a controlled destructive entry are still not well known, so ATV’s last moments will be recorded by a prototype ‘black box’.

ATV-1 fireball over Pacific, 2008

The Reentry Breakup Recorder will gather measurements on the location, temperature, pressure and attitude of the vehicle’s breakup before ejecting.

Once it reaches an altitude of about 18 km, it will transmit the information via the Iridium satphone system.

With this last phone call home, Johannes Kepler will be productive right to the very end of a fruitful mission.

Related links:

International Space Station: http://www.esa.int/esaHS/iss.html

EADS Astrium: http://www.astrium.eads.net/

Arianespace: http://www.arianespace.com/index/index.asp

Images, Video, Text, Credits: ESA / NASA.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Phobos slips past Jupiter

ESA - Mars Express Mission patch.

17 June 2011

  Phobos and Jupiter in conjunction

Earlier this month, ESA’s Mars Express performed a special manoeuvre to observe an unusual alignment of Jupiter and the martian moon Phobos. The impressive images have now been processed into a movie of this rare event.

At the moment when Mars Express, Phobos, and Jupiter aligned on 1 June 2011, there was a distance of 11 389 km between the spacecraft and Phobos, and a further 529 million km to Jupiter.

The High Resolution Stereo Camera on Mars Express was kept fixed on Jupiter for the conjunction, ensuring that the planet remained static in the frame. The operation returned a total of 104 images over a period of 68 seconds, all of them taken using the camera’s super-resolution channel.

By knowing the exact moment when Jupiter passed behind Phobos, the observation will help to verify and even improve our knowledge of the orbital position of the martian moon.

The images shown here were processed at the Department of Planetary Sciences and Remote Sensing at the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Freie Universität Berlin.

(Click on the images for enlarge)

Conjunction: before, during and after

 Paths of Phobos and Mars Express

 Phobos and Mars Express

 Phobos and Jupiter in 3D

Related links:

High Resolution Stereo Camera: http://berlinadmin.dlr.de/Missions/express/indexeng.shtml

Behind the lens: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEMSXE1PGQD_0.html

Frequently asked questions: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEM76D9OY2F_0.html

For specialists:

ESA Planetary Science archive (PSA): http://www.rssd.esa.int/PSA

NASA Planetary Data System: http://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/mars_express/hrsc.htm

HRSC data viewer: http://hrscview.fu-berlin.de/

Images, Video, Text, Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum).

Cheers, Orbiter.ch

Proba-V equipped for radiation census of space

ESA labeled logo.

17 June 2011

Space engineering 

Planned to be launched next year, ESA’s Proba-V mission will perform daily tracking of global vegetation growth. At the same time, the small satellite will also monitor the space environment with a compact radiation instrument.

Proba-V’s Energetic Particle Telescope (EPT) will record the charge, energy and angle of incoming charged particles along a wide range of energies across a 50° field-of-view.

Space is awash with radiation

Space might be a vacuum but it is far from empty: particles of different energies and charges are thrown off by the Sun, arrive from deep space or are captured and accelerated within radiation belts of Earth’s magnetic field.

Learning more about the ever-changing radiation environment is important to satellite operators as well as scientifically interesting. These particles are hazardous for satellites –radiation is one of the main causes of onboard anomalies and malfunctions – and potentially harmful to astronauts.

EPT

The telescope has two sections: one for low- and one for high-energy particle detection. The first, low-energy, section is made up of two silicon detectors at the entrance of the instrument. The high-energy section deeper in the device has a stack of 10 ‘digital absorber modules’.

“The charge imparted by a particle is collected, amplified and analysed to determine the particle species and energy causing it,” said Petteri Nieminen of ESA’s Space Environment and Effects section.

“Unlike the more simple radiation monitors previously flown in space, this telescope can unambiguously separate particles and energies for much more accurate sampling of the radiation flux.”

Proba-V

Built by a consortium of Proba-V prime contractor QinetiQ Space, the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, the Centre for Space Radiation of Belgium’s Catholic University of Louvain and Aboa Space Research Oy in Finland, the shoe-box-sized instrument weighs just 5 kg and needs only six watts of power.

The compact size and power turned out to be crucial in getting it on Proba-V. The Proba series of technology demonstration satellites traditionally host multiple payloads, but Proba-V has less room to spare than usual: its main mission is to extend the 13 years of continuous observations by the Vegetation sensor flying on France’s Spot series of observation satellites.

EPT side view

Proba-V will fly a cut-down version of the same Vegetation instrument, despite being less than a cubic metre in volume. It demanded a re-engineering based on a triple-mirror design to obtain the 2250 km field-of-view needed for almost daily coverage of Earth’s entire land surface.

“Proba-V has a firm launch date because its goal is to replace the Vegetation sensor on the current Spot-5,” added Petteri.

“This benefits the telescope as well because the Sun’s cycle of activity is increasing, with ‘solar max’ due to occur in mid-2013.

Rosetta's SREM during Earth swing-by

“In addition, this October Proba-1 will pass its first decade in space. The satellite is carrying a Standard Radiation Environment Monitor (SREM) – also on several other ESA missions – and we would like to perform simultaneous observations from both the SREM and EPT.

“In future, we envisage one or two EPTs being in space at any one time, performing in-orbit cross-calibration for more numerous but less sensitive radiation monitors aboard other European satellites.”

The EPT flight model is due to be completed by the end of this year, with integration onto Proba-V in early 2012. The mission’s launch is scheduled for spring 2012.

Related links:

Energetic Particle Telescope: http://csrsrv1.fynu.ucl.ac.be/csr_web/ept/eptinfos.php

SREM instrument: http://srem.web.psi.ch/html/srem_instrument.shtml

QinetiQ Space: http://www.qinetiq.com/home_qinetiq_space_nv.html

Images, Text, Credits: ESA / QinetiQ Space.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch