BepiColombo

BepiColombo is a space probe, which was originally supposed to start in 2013 for Mercury. However, the development of various components takes longer than planned, so that the start date was first postponed to July 2014 to August 2015. The mission is a cooperation between ESA and the Japanese space agency JAXA.

BepiColombo's main tasks are to study the magnetic field and the geological composition and history of the sun the next planet. The probe is named after the nickname of the Italian mathematician Giuseppe Colombo died in 1984, who has made ​​an outstanding contribution to the Mercury exploration. The start of the mission is to take place in August 2015, an Ariane 5 ECA from Kourou.

Technology

BepiColombo will consist of two separate probes and a transfer stage. During the flight to Mercury, the two probes are mounted one above the other sitting on the transfer stage: At the top sits under a sun shield of MMO magnetospheric orbiter ( Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, spin-stabilized, cold gas thrusters ), which after dropping the sun shield in a 400 km × 12,000 km polar Mercury orbit goes. Below sits the Planetary Orbiter MPO Remote Sensing ( Mercury Planetary Orbiter, three-axis stabilized, Hydrazinantrieb ), which is to Engage 1500 km polar orbit at a 400 km ×.

All parts of BepiColombo together weigh a full tank at the start about 4400 kg. The Ariane 5 ECA is to expose BepiColombo with a hyperbolic excess velocity of 3.36 km / s.

The MPO is the European contribution to the company, while MMO is being developed under Japanese responsibility. MPO will carry eleven scientific instruments, including ten European and Russian:

MMO carries five instruments - four Japanese and a European. Originally a surface lander should fly with, which was, however, canceled in November 2003 due to cost reasons.

Started and flown to Mercury are MPO and MMO successively mounted on the Mercury Transfer Module ( MTM), a to be developed under contract to ESA transfer platform with solar -electric and chemical propulsion, and a private, controlled by the computer of the MPO solar generator. The solar -electric propulsion is responsible for interplanetary travel, the chemical to reach the moon (first swing-by maneuver), for you to desaturate the reaction wheels during the mission and the deceleration into the orbits.

At the destination, the probes will be exposed to temperatures well above 300 ° C. Not only the direct sunlight will enforce the probes, but also from up to 470 ° C hot Mercury emitted infrared radiation.

In January 2008, received at the development and the construction of satellites specialized company Astrium in Friedrichshafen officially the project order. The contract is worth 350.9 million euros. The total cost including starting and operating by 2020 are estimated at 665 million euros.

Meanwhile, the Japanese MMO in a specially modified Space Simulator, ESA, with the irradiation of 10 solar constants, such as prevail in the Mercury orbit, tested at ESTEC. His skin had to endure while above 350 ° C. Between 12 September 2011 and the October 6, 2011 followed by tests of the MPO in the space simulator. However, preparations for the tests already began on 31 August 2011, when he was brought into the simulator. After the end of the tests he was able to leave him on October 8, 2011.

Timetable

To save fuel, are planned on the six- year journey swing-by maneuver at Venus, Earth, Moon and Mercury. In between several firing stages of the ion drive are provided. Before finally reaching the Mercury orbit in January 2022 MTM is separated and the two successive seated probes interact with the conventional chemical propulsion of MPO into the target orbit of the MMO. Then the MMO is separated and then brought the MPO in its orbit by chemical propulsion module. The mission duration after reaching the Mercury orbits is estimated for the orbiter to one year, with the possibility of extension for another year.