Juice moves into Large Space Simulator

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer has moved into the 'Large Space Simulator' at ESA's test centre, ready for grueling environmental tests at a range of temperatures.

Since arriving at ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in April, a number of activities have taken place ahead of the environmental testing. This included the application of multi-layered insulation, a deployment test of the medium-gain antenna, and other preparatory activities - captured in the image gallery below.

Once the door of the Large Space Simulator (LSS) is sealed, Juice will spend several weeks being subjected to extreme heating and cooling cycles under vacuum, to confirm the spacecraft is ready for its long journey through the Solar System to Jupiter. Juice will experience highs of 250+ C close to Venus, and lows of around -180+ C in the Jovian system.

The LSS is Europe's single largest vacuum chamber standing 15 m high and 10 m wide.

Juice will remain at ESTEC until July, before being transported to Toulouse for its final round of tests. From there it will travel to Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, to be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket next year.

Once in the Jovian system the mission will make detailed observations of the giant gas planet and its three large ocean-bearing moons - Ganymede, Callisto and Europa - with a suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments. The mission will investigate the emergence of habitable worlds around gas giants and the Jupiter system as an archetype for the numerous giant exoplanets, now known to orbit other stars.

Related Links
Space Science at ESA
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

New connector for sustainable structures on Earth and in space
Lausanne, Switzerland (SPX) Jun 08, 2021
During his time at EPFL under the Erasmus program, Romain van Wassenhove came up with an idea for a connector that could be used to make modular structures out of sustainable bamboo rather than wood, plastic or metal. "I wanted to focus my Master's on a topic that had meaning to me and that would lead to a concrete application," he says. "Working with bamboo was something I already had in mind while I was studying in Brussels." His connectors can be 3D-printed in biosourced plastic and are customizable ... read more