BepiColombo (MPO+MMO) - Ariane 5 ECA (VA245) - Kourou ELA-3 - 20.10.2018 - 04:45:35 ДМВ

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Stephen Clark‏ @StephenClark1 5 мин. назад

Are the arrays on both the MTM and MPO now deployed?


ESA Operations‏Подлинная учетная запись @esaoperations 1 мин. назад

They are!!


ESA Operations‏Подлинная учетная запись @esaoperations 1 мин. назад

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http://www.arianespace.com/mission-update/liftoff-of-arianespaces-ariane-5-with-bepicolombo/

Ariane 5 | October 19, 2018
Liftoff of Arianespace's Ariane 5 with BepiColombo

The Arianespace launch carrying Europe's historic first mission to Mercury is now underway following Ariane 5's liftoff from the Spaceport in French Guiana.

Total lift performance for this launch is estimated at 4,241 kg., with the multi-segment BepiColombo spacecraft to be deployed into an Earth escape orbit during a flight lasting 26 minutes and 47 seconds.

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ESA Operations‏Подлинная учетная запись @esaoperations 5 мин. назад

Test command has been sent to #BepiColombo to confirm communications... Now the commanding activities of the controllers at #ESOC can begin


3 мин. назад

PING!@ESA_Bepi

Bepi‏ @ESA_Bepi 3 мин. назад

PONG! #BepiColombo

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ESA Operations‏Подлинная учетная запись @esaoperations 2 мин. назад

Controllers at #ESOC have set the on-board transponders to "coherent" mode, which allows the #ESTRACK stations to perform doppler ranging measurements to get an accurate assessment of #BepiColombo's trajectory. Everything looking entirely nominal!

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Stéphane Israël‏ @arianespaceceo 57 мин. назад

Flight #VA245 marked the 101st launch of an #Ariane5, which is a testament to the excellent work by production prime contractor @ArianeGroup and its teams. Bravo to all! #teamwork

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На в ходе в главный зал управления.

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http://www.arianespace.com/mission-update/va245-success-bepicolombo/

Ariane 5 | October 19, 2018
Next stop...Mercury: Arianespace launches the BepiColombo mission to explore the "Swift Planet"



Arianespace marked another mission accomplished for science tonight as its heavy-lift Ariane 5 successfully sent BepiColombo – Europe's historic first mission to Mercury, organized in cooperation with Japan – on its way toward the solar system's smallest and least-explored terrestrial planet.

Ascending fr om the Spaceport's ELA-3 launch complex at 10:45:28 p.m. local time in French Guiana – the planned precise moment of liftoff – Ariane 5 lofted its passenger during a flight lasting just under 27 minutes, with the multi-segment BepiColombo spacecraft deployed into an Earth escape orbit.

As the nearest planet to the Sun, exploring Mercury is key to acquiring knowledge of how terrestrial planets originate and evolve, as well as to understand how conditions supporting life arose in the solar system, and possibly elsewh ere. Mercury also is known as the "Swift Planet" because its orbital period around the Sun of 87.97 days is the shortest of all the planets in the solar system.

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Mission to Mercury

The BepiColombo mission is being carried out jointly by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). After arriving in late 2025, the spacecraft – built under the industrial leadership of Airbus – will examine the peculiarities of Mercury's internal structure and magnetic field generation, as well as how the planet interacts with the sun and solar wind.

With an estimated liftoff mass of 4,081 kg., BepiColombo consists of two orbiters: the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO) and the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO); as well as two additional elements: the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), and the Magnetospheric Orbiter Sunshield and Interface Structure (MOSIF).

BepiColombo is scheduled for a one-year nominal mission, with the possibility for a one-year extension. It was named after Italian mathematician and engineer Giuseppe "Bepi" Colombo, who was known for his work related to Mercury.

Supporting science

In post-launch comments from the Spaceport, Arianespace Chief Executive Officer Stéphane Israël congratulated both ESA and JAXA – and underscored his company's continuing contributions to space research and science at the service of such institutions.

"Today's new success marks the beginning of a seven-year trip for BepiColombo, taking advantage of gravitational assistance from Earth, Venus, and Mercury," said Israël. "Arianespace is very proud to have contributed to this new major scientific quest!"

He added that Arianespace's latest Ariane 5 launch was special because of its Earth escape flight profile, and "would not have been possible without our European launchers 'dream team!' It showed the versatility of Ariane 5, so let me doubly congratulate all of the partners for this new success."

The Ariane 5 launch – designated Flight VA245 – was the 23rd major scientific mission performed by an Arianespace family vehicle to date, following deployments of such high-profile passengers as Rosetta, the Mars & Venus Express, Gaia, Herschel & Planck and Aeolus. It also underscores Arianespace's primary objective to guarantee Europe's independent and reliable access to space.

"We are standing on the shoulders of giants, and the giants are all of you!" said Guenther Hasinger, the ESA Director of Science, in acknowledging the participants in BepiColombo's development, its launch and the scientific mission to follow. He also thanked Arianespace for Ariane 5's exact on-time liftoff and the spacecraft's accurate deployment.

JAXA Senior Vice President Shizuo Yamamoto highlighted the excellent cooperation at the Spaceport launch site of Arianespace, ESA, the CNES French agency and the industrial teams that contributed to sending BepiColombo on its way to Mercury.

Flight VA245 by the numbers

BepiColombo is the 51st mission (and 73rd spacecraft) launched by Arianespace for ESA. It also is the 121st Airbus-produced spacecraft lofted by the company, which has a backlog of 22 additional satellites to orbit for this manufacturer on future flights.

As Arianespace's seventh launch in 2018, Flight VA245 follows other heavy-lift Ariane 5 missions performed this year on January 25 (carrying SES-14 and Al Yah 3), April 5 (DSN-1/Superbird-8 and HYLAS 4), July 25 (four Galileo satellites) and September 25 (Horizons 3e and Azerspace-2/Intelsat 38 ) .

Also conducted earlier in 2018 was Arianespace's medium-lift Soyuz mission on March 9 (with four O3b satellites); plus a light-lift Vega flight performed August 22 (Aeolus).

At the completion of tonight's mission, Arianespace's Stéphane Israël announced early November as the timing for the company's next flight, which will utilize a Soyuz launcher to orbit Europe's Metop-C polar-orbiting meteorological satellite for the EUMETSAT satellite agency.

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Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight 1 ч. назад

S/C Sep for BepiColombo!
Now for the multi-year flight to their mission at Mercury!

ARTICLE:

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/10/ariane-5-set-bepicolombo-mission-mercury/ ...

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Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 1 ч. назад

Bepi-Colombo and the ESC-A have separated! Both are on a 170 x -78605 km x 5.5 deg escape trajectory that will put them in a 0.89 x 1.17 AU x 0.7 deg solar orbit which will return for an Earth flyby in Apr 2020

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http://www.arianespace.com/press-release/arianespace-launches-bepicolombo-europes-first-mission-to-mercury-for-esa-in-cooperation-with-jaxa/

October 19, 2018
Arianespace launches BepiColombo, Europe's first mission to Mercury, for ESA in cooperation with JAXA



Arianespace has successfully launched the BepiColombo spacecraft on its mission to explore Mercury, the smallest and least known terrestrial planet in the Solar System.

Today's launch, the seventh of the year and the fifth with Ariane 5, took place on Friday, October 19 at 10:45 p.m. (local time) from the Guiana Space Center (CSG), Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, South America.

BepiColombo is an interdisciplinary scientific mission designed to study the planet Mercury, carried out jointly by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

With this launch for ESA, Arianespace continues to guarantee independent and reliable access to space for Europe, while also expanding humankind's knowledge of the Universe to make life better on Earth.

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BepiColombo starts its space journey in Europe's first mission to Mercury

Conducted jointly by ESA and JAXA, BepiColombo is an interdisciplinary mission designed to send two probes to Mercury, the smallest and least-explored planet in our Solar System, as part of a single composite spacecraft. BepiColombo is Europe's first mission to Mercury, and will enable a better understanding of the planet's history, geology, composition, atmosphere and magnetosphere.

BepiColombo, also known as the MCS (Mercury Composite Spacecraft), consists of the MTM, MPO, MMO and MOSIF. The Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) will carry the two orbiters (MPO and MMO) to their destination, while the MMO Sunshield and Interface Structure (MOSIF) will protect the MMO from the Sun and also act as the interface between the MMO and the MPO.

The Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), developed by ESA, will map the planet by focusing on its surface and interior. The Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO), developed and built by JAXA, will study its magnetosphere.

The fifth Ariane 5 launch of the year placed BepiColombo into an Earth escape orbit. Arrival at Mercury is planned for late 2025, following a space journey lasting seven years and covering nearly nine billion kilometers. Once the spacecraft reaches its destination, the BepiColombo mission will last for one year, with the possibility of extending its measurements for another year.

A sustained partnership between Arianespace, Europe and Japan

BepiColombo is the 51st Arianespace mission and the 73rd spacecraft launched for ESA, clearly reflecting Arianespace's continued role in guaranteeing independent and reliable access to space for Europe, while expanding our knowledge of the Universe to make life better on Earth.

BepiColombo also marks the third Arianespace launch of the year for ESA. In addition, the European launch services provider has four more ESA missions to be launched: the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on Ariane 5, two Galileo launches with Ariane 62, and CHEOPS on a Soyuz launcher.

Arianespace also has established a close relationship with Japan, symbolized by the opening of a Tokyo office in 1986, and the 32 launch contracts signed to date with Japanese operators. Following the launches of DSN-1/Superbird-8 on April 5 and of Horizons 3e on September 25, BepiColombo is the third mission involving Japanese partners to be launched by Arianespace in 2018.

Arianespace boosts emblematic scientific missions

Arianespace has launched 23 major scientific missions since being founded. Today's flight follows a launch on August 22, which successfully orbited Aeolus, the first space mission designed to measure winds on a global scale.

In early 2021, Arianespace – in the framework of a contract with ESA -will use an Ariane 5 from CSG to orbit the most emblematic scientific mission of the next decade, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) for NASA. The mission's objectives include detecting the first stars and galaxies in the Universe after the big bang, tracking their evolution over time, and also witnessing the birth of new stars and planetary systems.

Several moments after the orbital injection of the spacecraft, Stéphane Israël, Chief Executive Officer of Arianespace, said: "With our seventh launch of the year, an Ariane 5 has lofted BepiColombo on a seven-year journey to Mercury, covering nearly nine billion kilometers! We are very proud of our 51st mission for ESA, and the 23rd space exploration mission by Arianespace. Europe's first mission to the planet closest to the Sun, in partnership with the Japanese space agency JAXA, will enable us to better understand the formation and evolution of planets in the inner Solar System. It carries on the tradition of previous successes for space exploration by ESA, with launches performed by Arianespace, and also heralds the next major scientific mission – the James Webb Space Telescope – to be launched by an Ariane 5 in early 2021.

"I would like to congratulate everybody who contributed to the construction of the spacecraft, and especially our long-standing partner Airbus Defense and Space, prime contractor of BepiColombo. "My thanks go to all of our partners who contributed to this latest Ariane 5 success: ArianeGroup and all companies involved in the production of Ariane; ESA, contracting authority for the Ariane program; the French CNES space agency; our ground segment companies; and all staff at the space center. Congratulations to everybody at Arianespace, who contributed to this latest perfect launch that continues to guarantee Europe's independent access to space... even to some of the farthest points in the Solar System."

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Миссия BepiColombо успешно стартовала к Меркурию
04:57 20.10.2018

ПАРИЖ, 20 окт — РИА Новости. Космические аппараты первой европейской миссии BepiColombo по изучению Меркурия успешно стартовали с космодрома Куру во Французской Гвиане.

Старт состоялся в 22.45 по местному времени (04.45 мск). Трансляция запуска велась на сайте Европейского космического агентства (ЕКА). Запуск был осуществлен с помощью ракеты-носителя Ariane 5.

BepiColombo — миссия, организованная Европейским космическим агентством в партнерстве с Японским агентством аэрокосмических исследований (JAXA). Это первая европейская миссия по изучению Меркурия, самой маленькой и наименее исследованной планеты Солнечной системы.

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Аппараты должны будут преодолеть девять миллиардов километров и достичь Меркурия через семь лет — в конце 2025 года. За это время они совершат девять гравитационных маневров около Венеры, Земли и Меркурия.

В состав миссии входят два орбитальных аппарата: магнитосферный орбитер и планетарный орбитер, а также третий модуль, который доставит эти аппараты к орбите Меркурия.

Предполагается, что после прибытия они проработают на орбите не менее года, собирая данные о составе, плотности, магнитном поле и экзосфере Меркурия, а также исследуя взаимодействие планеты с солнечным ветром.

Как сообщил ранее руководитель отдела ядерной планетологии Института космических исследований РАН Игорь Митрофанов, на аппарате BepiColombo отправится российский гамма-спектрометр, способный искать следы воды в грунте Меркурия.

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РИА Новости https://ria.ru/space/20181020/1531095731.html

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http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/BepiColombo/BepiColombo_blasts_off_to_investigate_Mercury_s_mysteries

BepiColombo liftoff

BEPICOLOMBO BLASTS OFF TO INVESTIGATE MERCURY'S MYSTERIES

20 October 2018
The ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission to Mercury blasted off on an Ariane 5 from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou at 01:45:28 GMT on 20 October on its exciting mission to study the mysteries of the Solar System's innermost planet.

Signals from the spacecraft, received at ESA's control centre in Darmstadt, Germany, via the New Norcia ground tracking station at 02:21 GMT confirmed that the launch was successful.

BepiColombo is a joint endeavour between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA. It is the first European mission to Mercury, the smallest and least explored planet in the inner Solar System, and the first to send two spacecraft to make complementary measurements of the planet and its dynamic environment at the same time.

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"Launching BepiColombo is a huge milestone for ESA and JAXA, and there will be many great successes to come," says Jan Wörner, ESA Director General.

"Beyond completing the challenging journey, this mission will return a huge bounty of science. It is thanks to the international collaboration and the decades of efforts and expertise of everyone involved in the design and building of this incredible machine, that we are now on our way to investigating planet Mercury's mysteries."


BepiColombo approaching Mercury

"Congratulations on the successful launch of Ariane 5 carrying BepiColombo, ESA-JAXA joint Mercury exploration mission," says Hiroshi Yamakawa, JAXA President.

"I would like to express my gratitude for the excellent achievement of launch operations. JAXA has high expectations that the ensuing detailed observations on the surface and interior of Mercury will help us better understand the environment of the planet, and ultimately, the origin of the Solar System including that of Earth."

BepiColombo comprises two science orbiters: ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and JAXA's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO, or 'Mio'). The ESA-built Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) will carry the orbiters to Mercury using a combination of solar electric propulsion and gravity assist flybys, with one flyby of Earth, two at Venus, and six at Mercury, before entering orbit at Mercury in late 2025.

"There is a long and exciting road ahead of us before BepiColombo starts collecting data for the science community," says Günther Hasinger, ESA Director of Science.

"Endeavours like the Rosetta mission and their ground-breaking discoveries even years after their completion have already shown us that complex science exploration missions are well worth the wait."


Animation visualising BepiColombo's journey to Mercury
Access the video

The two science orbiters will also be able to operate some of their instruments during the cruise phase, affording unique opportunities to collect scientifically valuable data at Venus. Moreover, some of the instruments designed to study Mercury in a particular way can be used in a completely different way at Venus, which has a thick atmosphere compared with Mercury's exposed surface.

"BepiColombo is one of the most complex interplanetary missions we have ever flown," says Andrea Accomazzo, ESA Flight Director for BepiColombo.

"One of the biggest challenges is the Sun's enormous gravity, which makes it difficult to place a spacecraft into a stable orbit around Mercury. We have to constantly brake to ensure a controlled fall towards the Sun, with the ion thrusters providing the low thrust needed over long durations of the cruise phase."


Ariane 5 fairing closure over the spacecraft stack

Other challenges include the extreme temperature environment the spacecraft will endure, which will range from -180ºC to over 450ºC – hotter than a pizza oven. Many of the spacecraft mechanisms and outer coatings had not previously been tested in such conditions.

The overall design of the three spacecraft modules also reflects the intense conditions they will face. The large solar arrays of the transfer module have to be tilted at the right angle to avoid radiation damage, while still providing enough energy to the spacecraft. On the MPO, the wide radiator means the spacecraft can efficiently remove heat from its subsystems, as well as reflect heat and fly over the planet at lower altitudes than ever achieved before. Eight-sided Mio will spin 15 times a minute to evenly distribute the Sun's heat over its solar panels to avoid overheating.

"Seeing our spacecraft blast off into space is a moment we have all been waiting for," says Ulrich Reininghaus, ESA's BepiColombo project manager.

"We have overcome many hurdles over the years, and the teams are delighted to see BepiColombo now on the road to intriguing planet Mercury."


BepiColombo orbits

A few months before arriving at Mercury, the transfer module will be jettisoned, leaving the two science orbiters – still connected to each other – to be captured by Mercury's gravity. Their altitude will be adjusted using MPO's thrusters until MMO's desired elliptical polar orbit is reached.

Then MPO will separate and descend to its own orbit using its thrusters. Together the orbiters will make measurements that will reveal the internal structure of the planet, the nature of the surface and the evolution of geological features – including ice in the planet's shadowed craters – and the interaction between the planet and the solar wind.

"A unique aspect of this mission is having two spacecraft monitoring the planet from two different locations at the same time: this is really key to understanding processes linked to the impact of the solar wind on Mercury's surface and its magnetic environment," adds ESA's BepiColombo project scientist Johannes Benkhoff.

"BepiColombo will build on the discoveries and questions raised by NASA's Messenger mission to provide the best understanding of Mercury and Solar System evolution to date, which in turn will be essential for understanding how planets orbiting close to their stars in exoplanet systems form and evolve, too."


BepiColombo science themes

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https://tass.ru/kosmos/5698359

20 ОКТ, 05:00 Обновлено 05:24
Во Франции запустили ракету Ariane-5 с аппаратами для исследования Меркурия

Задачей аппаратов станет всестороннее изучение Меркурия и окружающего пространства, включая исследование невидимой с Земли стороны планеты

ТАСС, 20 октября. Европейская ракета-носитель тяжелого класса Ariane-5 успешно стартовала в пятницу вечером с космодрома Гвианского космического центра (ГКЦ) во Французской Гвиане. В космос она выводит аппараты исследовательской миссии BepiColombo, которая подготовлена Европейским космическим агентством (ESA) совместно с Японским агентством аэрокосмических исследований (JAXA) для изучения Меркурия. Трансляцию старта в прямом эфире на своем сайте вело JAXA.

Запуск с третьей стартовой площадки ГКЦ в Куру произведен в пятницу в 22:45 по местному времени (20 октября, 04:45 мск). На борту ракеты - три космических аппарата миссии BepiColombo, которым предстоит направиться к Меркурию для комплексного исследования первой от Солнца планеты. "Аппараты будут путешествовать вместе - трансферный модуль будет нести два научных орбитальных аппарата, используя сочетание солнечной и электрической энергии, а также девять гравитационных маневров возле Земли, Венеры и Меркурия", - сообщили в ESA.

В ESA сообщили, что запуск ракеты-носителя прошел успешно. По его сведениям, трансферный модуль, который несет два научных орбитальных аппарата, отделился от ракеты на высоте более 1 тыс. км над поверхностью Земли и продолжил движение по заданной траектории к Меркурию.

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Программа BepiColombo выполняется с 2008 года совместными усилиями ESA и JAXA. Задачей аппаратов станет всестороннее изучение ближайшей к Солнцу планеты и окружающего пространства, включая исследование невидимой с Земли стороны Меркурия. Согласно плану, зонды должны достичь цели к декабрю 2025 года.

Ряд научных приборов, установленных на борту двух аппаратов BepiColombo, разработаны при участии российских специалистов. В частности, ученые из Института космических исследований РАН участвовали в создании двух спектрометров, предназначенных для изучения элементного состава поверхности Меркурия и для исследования экзосферы планеты.

Модуль будет двигаться по сложной траектории, используя сочетание солнечной и электрической энергии, а также девять гравитационных маневров возле Земли, Венеры и Меркурия. В ESA рассчитывают, что аппараты миссии BepiColombo могут проработать на орбите Меркурия год. За это время должны быть собраны данные о химическом составе меркурианской поверхности, проведено исследование магнитного поля планеты и осуществлен поиск льда ее полюсах.

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Ariane 5 launches BepiColombo mission to Mercury

SciNews

Опубликовано: 19 окт. 2018 г.

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ESA Operations‏Подлинная учетная запись @esaoperations 21 мин. назад

First star tracker switched on! #BepiColombo can now work out its orientation in space

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BepiColombo on the way to Mercury

SciNews

Опубликовано: 19 окт. 2018 г.

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Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 12 мин. назад

BepiColombo now passing south of the geostationary belt, safely distant from all the active geosats

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Arianespace . VA245 Successful Launch

arianespace

Опубликовано: 19 окт. 2018 г.

For its seventh launch of the year, Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ECA from the Guiana Space Center (CSG) to send the BepiColombo spacecraft on its way to the solar system's smallest and least-explored terrestrial planet: Mercury.

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Arianespace TV - VA245 Successful Mission

arianespace

Опубликовано: 19 окт. 2018 г.

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Arianespace TV - VA245 - Official Speeches

arianespace

Опубликовано: 19 окт. 2018 г.

(20:26)