Author Topic: ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates  (Read 116339 times)

Offline Chris Bergin

ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates
« on: 02/26/2007 01:08 pm »
BepiColombo, ESA's mission to explore planet Mercury, has been definitively 'adopted' by the Agency's Science Programme Committee (SPC) last Friday. The mission will now start its industrial implementation phase, to prepare for launch in August 2013.

More at:
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMC8XBE8YE_index_0.html
« Last Edit: 10/15/2018 06:50 pm by Stardust9906 »
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Offline Orbiter Obvious

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Re: ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates
« Reply #1 on: 02/26/2007 10:17 pm »
Interesting. That's a lot of money for ESA to be spending?

Offline mr.columbus

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Re: ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates
« Reply #2 on: 02/27/2007 07:47 am »
Quote
Orbiter Obvious - 26/2/2007  6:17 PM

Interesting. That's a lot of money for ESA to be spending?

Yes, Bepicolombo is one of ESA's large missions (650 million EUR range).

Here is are some tidbits from the Aviation week from Feb 2007 - the press release also gives a inside on the amount of medium and large missions in the 2015-2025 timeframe:
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The European Space Agency will split a €329-million ($424.4-million) prime contract for Bepi Colombo Mercury mission, the agency's next major science project, between Astrium and Alcatel Alenia Space. Astrium Germany will be overall prime contractor, with Astrium U.K. and Alcatel Alenia Italy as co-primes, says Jacques Louet, ESA's director of science projects. But Astrium Germany will shoulder the full program risk under a "political expedient" approved last week by ESA's industrial policy committee. The green light for the €665-million mission is to be given by ESA's science program board later this month, along with a call for ideas for the next round of science missions planned for 2015-25. Three large (€650-million) and three medium (€300-million) missions are expected to be proposed for the tender, expected to be realized in October. The first, a medium mission, would be launched around 2017. To ensure approval, Louet said, science planners will propose €200 million in cuts through 2015. The bulk of the savings--€110 million--will come by offering to merge ESA's Solar Orbiter mission with NASA's four-satellite Sentinel project, eliminating one Sentinel and carrying the four remaining units aloft on the same launcher, with shared instrument packages.
-------------------

Offline Stephan

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Re: ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates
« Reply #3 on: 02/27/2007 06:07 pm »
I didn't know that it would be a joint mission with JAXA.
Any info about the kind of electric propulsion that will be used ?
Best regards, Stephan

Online jacqmans

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Re: ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates
« Reply #4 on: 01/18/2008 07:27 pm »
The industrial development of BepiColombo, Europe's first mission to Mercury, has been officially kicked off. The prime contract, awarded by ESA to Astrium, was signed today during a ceremony that took place in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

Full story:
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM7UR3MDAF_index_0.html
Jacques :-)

Offline Jirka Dlouhy

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Re: ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates
« Reply #5 on: 01/18/2008 08:00 pm »
Quote
jacqmans - 18/1/2008  9:27 PM

The industrial development of BepiColombo, Europe's first mission to Mercury, has been officially kicked off. The prime contract, awarded by ESA to Astrium, was signed today during a ceremony that took place in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

Full story:
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM7UR3MDAF_index_0.html

This mission is developed in colaboration ESA and JAXA.

Good luck BepiColombo

Offline Fabien

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Re: ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates
« Reply #6 on: 02/01/2008 05:47 am »
Do we know precisely what engine will drive BepiColombo ? They have been aiming at using T6 from Qinetic a few years ago.

Online jacqmans

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Re: ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates
« Reply #7 on: 01/18/2011 02:06 pm »
ESA's Mercury mapper feels the heat
 
18 January 2011   
Key components of the ESA-led Mercury mapper BepiColombo have been tested in a specially upgraded European space simulator. ESA's Large Space Simulator is now the most powerful in the world and the only facility capable of reproducing Mercury's hellish environment for a full-scale spacecraft.

http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMNBC6SXIG_index_0.html
Jacques :-)

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates
« Reply #8 on: 06/01/2011 09:26 am »
Hot stuff: the making of BepiColombo

http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMZEUISDNG_index_0.html
« Last Edit: 06/01/2011 12:27 pm by bolun »

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates
« Reply #9 on: 08/22/2011 01:16 pm »
ESA simulates scorching sunlight for BepiColombo mission to Mercury

22 August 2011

ESA is recreating the intense sunlight and sustained heat encountered around Mercury, the innermost planet of the Solar System, inside the largest vacuum chamber in Europe.
 
The Netherlands-based test campaign is evaluating ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), part of the multi-spacecraft BepiColombo mission to Mercury.

A highly accurate, full-scale engineering model of the final MPO arrived at ESA’s ESTEC Test Centre in Noordwijk from Thales Alenia Space Italy in Turin on 29 July. It has since been placed inside the Large Space Simulator, the largest vacuum chamber in Europe, which is big enough to house an up-ended double-decker bus, and can maintain space-quality vacuum for weeks on end.

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Space_Engineering/SEMEV8RTJRG_0.html

Offline bolun

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Offline Chris Bergin

Re: ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates
« Reply #11 on: 08/22/2011 02:23 pm »
Thread title changed to include JAXA on request.
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Offline bolun

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Offline bolun

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Re: ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates
« Reply #13 on: 09/15/2011 07:13 pm »
Arianespace to launch BepiColombo spacecraft on first European mission to Mercury

Evry, September 15, 2011

The European Space Agency (ESA) and Arianespace today announced the signature of a contract for the launch of the BepiColombo spacecraft, designed to explore the planet Mercury.

The launch is scheduled for July 2014, using an Ariane 5 ECA launcher from the Guiana Space Center, Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.

BepiColombo is a joint scientific mission led by ESA in conjunction with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The spacecraft comprises two probes that will be injected into separate orbits around the planet: ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), and JAXA's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO).

Each of these two probes will be fitted with a suite of high-precision instruments to carry out an exhaustive study of Mercury.

BepiColombo will be built by Astrium GmbH and weigh about 4,400 kg at launch. The spacecraft will leave the Earth with a hyperbolic excess velocity of 3.36 km/s.

After signing the contract, ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain said, "With BepiColombo, Europe continues to explore our Solar System. After Mars Express, Venus Express and the Huygens probe to Titan, we are now gearing up to explore a planet that is very close to the Sun, key to understanding the formation of our Solar System, and yet still very mysterious. For the European Space Agency, it's also an excellent example of scientific teamwork, since we are sharing this experience with the Japanese space agency. After the successful launch of Herschel and Planck back in 2009 and before the launch of the ATV-3 and Alphasat next year, Ariane 5 again demonstrates its extreme flexibility, which will soon be complemented by Soyuz and Vega.”

Jean-Yves Le Gall, Chairman & EO of Arianespace, added: "We are both proud and honored to be given this opportunity to support space science and serve the European Space Agency, teaming up with JAXA on this program. Arianespace deploys a complete range of launch vehicles, Ariane 5, Soyuz and Vega, to guarantee independent access to space for Europe and provide the most appropriate launch solutions for European government satellites."

About Arianespace

Arianespace is the world’s leading launch service & solutions company, providing innovation to its customers since 1980. Backed by 21 shareholders and the European Space Agency, Arianespace offers an unrivalled family of launchers, comprising Ariane 5, Soyuz and Vega, and an international workforce renowned for a culture of commitment and excellence. As of 15 September 2011, Arianespace had launched with Ariane launchers a total of 296 payloads, including more than half of all the commercial satellites now in service worldwide. It has a backlog of 20 Ariane 5 and 17 Soyuz launches, equal to more than three years of business.

http://www.arianespace.com/news-press-release/2011/9-15-2011-BepiColombo.asp

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates
« Reply #14 on: 09/20/2011 10:20 am »
BepiColombo Mercury explorer to be launched on Ariane
 
15 September 2011

Reaching one of the most mysterious planets in our Solar System takes enormous power and finesse. ESA has now firmly entrusted its precious Mercury explorer to Europe’s largest rocket – the Ariane 5.
 
ESA today signed the contract with Arianespace to launch its BepiColombo mission on an Ariane 5 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

Europe's first mission to probe the Solar System's innermost planet will depart in July 2014.

BepiColombo's sensors will completely map Mercury at different wavelengths, charting the planet's mineralogy and elemental composition.

It will reveal the planet's interior structure and probe Mercury's magnetic field.

ESA is leading the mission, flying it in cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

The mission's two orbiters will be injected into separate orbits around Mercury: ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter and Japan's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter. 
 
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMPRL0UDSG_index_0.html

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates
« Reply #15 on: 11/30/2011 03:47 pm »
November 29, 2011 Updated

MMO flight model first integration test

The first integration test for the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO) flight model is underway at the Flight Environment Test Building, Sagamihara Campus.

This test is the first comprehensive test on the satellite flight model to mainly verify the electric interface with signals and commands as well as the mechanical interface.

http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/bepi/index_e.html

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates
« Reply #16 on: 12/13/2011 01:18 pm »
Structural model of the BepiColombo Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter at ESTEC

07 Dec 2011

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.

http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=49739

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates
« Reply #17 on: 12/27/2011 02:55 pm »

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates
« Reply #18 on: 02/29/2012 11:06 am »
BepiColombo Mercury mission to be launched in 2015

28 Feb 2012

BepiColombo, an ESA mission to the planet Mercury in collaboration with the Japanese space agency, JAXA, is now planned for launch in a window opening in August 2015.

While ESA had previously been targeting a launch in July 2014, a 2015 option has always been built in to the development plan, as part of the risk mitigation strategy.

http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=50105

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA/JAXA - BepiColombo updates
« Reply #19 on: 05/02/2012 01:44 pm »
BepiColombo Planetary Orbiter and Transfer Module mated for first time

27 Apr 2012 15:08

The Structural and Thermal Models of the BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter and Mercury Transfer Module were mated for the first time on 11 April 2012. The mating was performed to accurately position the inter-module hardware on the transfer module.

http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=50301

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