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@ESA_Bepi, @JAXA_MMO, @ESA_MTM, @BepiColombo
CSG Report
(2018/8/22)
Today was the electrical function check in mated configuration.
In the evening, AEOLUS was successfully launched with the Vega rocket.
The building which the Bepicolombo team is working had to be evacuated 90 minutes in advance, so the team members viewed the launch from outside CSG. The picture shows the view from Carapa site. Carapa has many advantages; the rocket is visible from lift off, you are able to hear the countdown and there are monitors to show the status of the launch. There are even T-shirts to buy as souveniers. Reservation is not required but because the place is very popular, there is a limit to the number of people that can enter.
Other members watched from the beach, and also by the Lac du Bois Chaudat. The view was good there as well.
Viewing sites inside CSG require booking in advance.
Names and messages from public in a memory card is installed in my heart! I take the hot messages to the hot planet, Mercury! pic.twitter.com/DS3ZYJQ7mK
LOOK! 👀 My solar array is attached! 😃 Can you see it?!? It's got some help hanging from the 'zero-g' rig, and it's going to get folded up again soon, and then I can practise deploying it, and then it will be stowed for launch...like yours @ESA_MTM! 😅 #Excited! pic.twitter.com/c0myVIBrUf
MMO, MPO and MTM is performing combined electrical tests.
MMO, MPO, MTM, MOSIF Sunshield can all be seen in the picture below.
MPO MLI finalization is also ongoing.
Some careful finishing touches to the sewing of the multi-layered insulation around my high-gain antenna and mechanisms, currently in stowed configuration... pic.twitter.com/96m6c1rVVr
The MPO solar array is being prepared for integration. The manual deployment was performed today.
Watching as my solar array is being deployed and inspected in a special rig needed to support the array from above, to help simulate the weightlessness of space. I’m looking forward to having a go at it myself soon 😊 Latest photos: https://t.co/9rWR5lDaPnpic.twitter.com/7gboXojc2j
Today the spacecraft was commanded from ESOC. Telemetry data was transferred to our Operation room in Japan, where engineers checked the status of MMO.
CSG Report
(2018/7/28)
Combined electrical tests are ongoing in CSG.
It is the season of turtles along the coast of French Guiana. They arrive around the time of high-tide, lay eggs in the sand then return to the sea. Red lights are used to observe the turtles, since they are sensitive to white light.
The photo shows a leatherback turtle.
CSG Report
(2018/7/27)
Combined electrical tests are ongoing in CSG.
MMO team members visited the BAF "Final Assembly Building ( Batiment d Ássemblage Final)" today to assess the finalisation activities after the spacecraft integration to the launcher. During the actual operation, operators are required to wear a special anti-flammable suit, helmets and gloves and carry gas masks for protection.
Here is a videovideo by ESA showing the preparation activities along with interview of our Project manager Hajime Hayakawa.
CSG Report
(2018/7/26)
The target launch date for BepiColombo was announced today.
The Ariane5 carrying 4 Galileo satellites was launched this morning at 08:25 local time. The road to CSG was closed for safety, therefore the BepiColombo team enjoyed the launch before coming to work.
The MMO team went to a viewpoint on "Monkey Mountain" which is outside of Kourou. Around 100 people gathered on the mountain to see the launch.
There are several viewpoints inside CSG, which requires reservation in advance. Outside of CSG, the beach of Kourou is also a good spot.
There is a museum located at the entrance of CSG, and site tours are offered on weekdays(requires reservation 48 hrs in advance).
CSG Report
(2018/7/24)
MMO (attached to MOSIF frame), MPO, and MTM is now interconnected with test harnesses for the combined electrical test. MMO is covered with black panels to protect the solar arrays. The covers will be removed before encapsulation.
Preparation for Ariane5 launch is also ongoing at CSG.
The final testing of the second solar array of MTM was completed last week.
The 15-meter long solar array was first extended for inspection and illumination test before folding. Then it was deployed for the last time on ground. After the final inspections, it was folded again, and a red protection cover is attached. It is now ready for launch.
MTM is the transfer module that carries MPO and MMO to Mercury. It is the first module to be separated upon arrival at Mercury.
French Guiana was a penal colony of France during 19th century and until mid-20th century.
It was infamous for the harsh conditions and the prisoners had little chance of surviving.
Off the coast of Kourou are the Salut Islands which were also used as prison sites. Devil's island (Ile du Diable) is the most famous, where more then 80,000 political prisoners were sent but many died due to tropical diseases.
The prison system was closed in 1953. CSG was founded in 1964 and is now responsible for the Islands.
CSG Report
(2018/7/20)
MMO "MIO" is out of the clean tent and set-up for the next test.
All your followers have a chance to look at your target in the next days... Mercury as seen from Melbourne in today and yesterday. Mercury can be spotted on the lower left in line with Venus and Regulus. pic.twitter.com/7683J3hEFj
Big congratulations to France for the world cup title!
Public viewing in Kourou was full of fans cheering for the national team. Cars decorated with the French flags paraded the streets.
CSG Report
(2018/7/14)
Bastille day celebrations in Kourou! We enjoyed performances by French Military, Police, Fire Brigade, followed by fireworks on the beach.
CSG Report
(2018/7/13)
Bepi@ESA_Bepi and bepicolmbo@bepicolombo tweet on Twitter!
Meanwhile, engineers are also working on thermal insulation of @JAXA_MMO, seen here (left pic) before the integration of the panels supporting the solar cells (panels: right pic) 🙂🛰️ pic.twitter.com/t09KPHYAMC
JAXA and MMO flags were raised in front of the Payload Preparation Facility S5 building where the BepiColombo team is busily preparing for the launch.
MPO MLI and MTM Solar array panel works are still ongoing. The panels are hung from a dedicated rig inside the cleanroom, deployed, then attached to the spacecraft.
Training at ESOC
(2018/7/10)
Training sessions are going on at ESOC in Darmstadt, Germany to get ready for the launch and future operations.
.@BepiColombo teams practice the unique mission to #Mercury at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Germany. BepiColombo will use the gravity of Earth, Venus and Mercury in 9 complex flybys, arriving at the least explored planet in the Solar System in late 2025 🌕🛰 pic.twitter.com/GnrOdJNCPv
Finalisation of MPO Multi-layer Insulation (MLI) is ongoing. The MLI is hand-sewn to fit the spacecraft.
Meanwhile, the solar array paddles are being attached to MTM.
While insulation is being finalised on @ESA_Bepi & @ESA_MTM, solar array deployment tests have begun for MTM before being attached to the craft; MTM is also being readied for Xenon fuelling, which will be used for the solar electric propulsion to #Mercuryhttps://t.co/t5rm9MTPkl
Update from the #Spaceport, where sewing of the multi-layer insulation on @ESA_Bepi and @ESA_MTM goes on. Meanwhile, the three tanks of the MTM were loaded with a total of 581 kg of xenon, which will be used for the solar electric propulsion to #Mercuryhttps://t.co/Hw7iYH91OO
Watch the 99th and 100th #Ariane5 in motion as they performed a special dual-transfer at the Spaceport. This was on July 5, in preparation for Flights #VA244 (Galileo mission) & #VA243, scheduled for July 25 and early September liftoffs, respectively. #MissiontoSuccesspic.twitter.com/DABfsh4IzD
After 3 years of various testing with the European modules(MPO, MTM, MOSIF), MMO is departing from ESTEC. MMO and MTM will be loaded onto an Antonov, and flying from Schipol Airport to Cayenne Airport, with a stopover in Santa Maria Island.
MMO is now placed inside a dedicated container for transportation. The air inside the container is replaced with Nitrogen gas to prevent condensation. An air conditioning unit is attached for temperature control. MMO will be shipped at end of April from ESTEC in The Netherlands to the Ariane5 launch site in French Guiana.
