spacecraft unveiled for first europe mission to mercury
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Spacecraft unveiled for first Europe mission to Mercury

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Spacecraft unveiled for first Europe mission to Mercury

The planet Mercury orbits just 58 million kilometres (36 million miles) from the Sun, and its surface is blasted by radiation levels that would destroy earthly lifeforms
Tokyo - AFP

European and Japanese scientists Thursday proudly unveiled the BepiColombo spacecraft ahead of its seven-year journey to Mercury, to explore one of the Solar System's most enigmatic planets.

Set for launch in 2018, BepiColombo will be the European Space Agency's (ESA) first mission to the closest rock to the Sun.

The craft has an unusual design, comprising a "stacked aircraft" carrying two orbiters -- one European, the other Japanese -- which will separate on arrival to go into different, but complementary orbits around Mercury.

BepiColombo aims to "follow up on many of the intriguing results of NASA's Messenger mission, probing deeper into Mercury's mysteries than ever before," the ESA said.

The joint project with the Japanese agency JAXA, which has cost more than 1.3 billion euros ($1.48 billion), involves some 33 companies from 12 EU nations, as well as firms from the US and Japan.

It has been delayed several times, but the mission chiefs are now confident that it is on track to launch in October next year.

Mercury is the "most peculiar of all rocky planets," Alvaro Gimenez, ESA's director of science told reporters at the agency's centre in the Dutch coastal town of Noordwijk.

Its surface is wracked by extreme temperatures, ranging from +450 to -180 degrees Celsius (+842 to -292 degrees Fahrenheit).

'Entering a pizza oven'

It also has a magnetic field, the only rocky planet besides Earth to have one.

But Mercury is so weak that the field does not provide a shield against solar radiation.

It orbits just 58 million kilometres (36 million miles) from the Sun, and its surface is blasted by radiation levels that would destroy earthly lifeforms.

Its proximity to the Sun also makes Mercury hard to study from Earth because the brightness impedes the view. The Sun's huge gravity also makes it difficult to put a craft into steady orbit around the planet.

The high temperatures also presented tricky challenges for the engineers, which include the European aircraft designer Airbus, and added to project delays, mission chiefs said.

Airbus said it has covered the European orbiter with specially-designed "high-temperature multi-layered insulation" which is "made up of 50 layers of ceramics and aluminium," while the antennae are "made of heat-resistant titanium, covered by a newly-developed coating".

"We are flying into a pizza oven which is why we had to test materials at a very high and different temperature rates. Sometimes with very unwanted results," said Ulrich Reininghaus, the ESA BepiColombo project manager.

'Most complicated ever'

So far only two NASA missions have visited Mercury -- Mariner 10 in the 1970s and Messenger, which orbited the planet from 2011 until it ran out of fuel in April 2015.

BepiColombo will study the peculiarities of Mercury's internal structure and magnetic field generation, and how it interacts with the Sun and solar wind.

The Mercury mission is Europe's "most complicated ever," said Gimenez.

"It's difficult to get there, it's difficult to work there."

The orbiters will seek to get as close as possible to the planet's surface, which is blasted by radiation levels 10 times higher than on the Sun and by temperatures hot enough to melt metal.

The European orbiter is carrying 11 specially-designed instruments and the Japanese counterpart has five, which are set to explore Mercury's crater-pocked surface, enigmatic magnetism and tenuous, vestigial atmosphere.

They are planned to stay in orbit for at least one to two years, but scientists said it was possible the orbiters could last longer before crashing onto the planet's surface.

Scientists will first seek to launch what they termed "a technological masterpiece" on October 5, 2018 from Kourou in French Guiana on the back of an Ariane rocket, with an eight-week launch window if there are any difficulties.

"Arrival at Mercury is first foreseen ... on December 5, 2025," added Reininghaus.

Source: AFP

 

almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

spacecraft unveiled for first europe mission to mercury spacecraft unveiled for first europe mission to mercury

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

spacecraft unveiled for first europe mission to mercury spacecraft unveiled for first europe mission to mercury

 



Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017

GMT 09:22 2018 Monday ,22 January

Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way

GMT 11:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Modern colorful bedroom renovation

GMT 10:57 2017 Thursday ,21 December

Modern colorful bedroom renovation
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president

GMT 13:56 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 10:47 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Turkey detains dozens more
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today The Rake announces editorial updates

GMT 10:46 2018 Tuesday ,16 January

The Rake announces editorial updates
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Europe brings on charm and blue skies

GMT 11:51 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Europe brings on charm and blue skies
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today For the Variety of Interior Design Styles

GMT 10:46 2017 Tuesday ,19 December

For the Variety of Interior Design Styles
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today US Christian tourists see deep meaning

GMT 13:44 2018 Monday ,22 January

US Christian tourists see deep meaning
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 10:03 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 23:55 2011 Monday ,02 May

Royal designer mooted for Christian Dior

GMT 16:00 2013 Tuesday ,03 September

GCC passports departments heads conclude meeting in Doha

GMT 13:23 2017 Wednesday ,08 February

Tokyo 2020 bid chief quizzed over payments

GMT 13:15 2012 Thursday ,23 February

Jamal Suleiman begins new drama

GMT 08:59 2012 Wednesday ,14 November

MBC Egypt appoint channel director

GMT 00:26 2012 Tuesday ,10 January

Acanto Boutique Hotel completes $5m refit

GMT 23:22 2012 Tuesday ,23 October

2013 Ram Heavy Duty

GMT 09:04 2016 Tuesday ,16 August

Indonesian minister sacked for dual citizenship

GMT 07:54 2017 Saturday ,08 July

US, Russia agree on ceasefire

GMT 11:04 2011 Sunday ,18 December

Fairmont to hire near 3,000 staff for new hotels

GMT 12:51 2017 Monday ,31 July

Yemeni forces achieve notable advance in Taiz

GMT 20:48 2017 Thursday ,13 April

EU foreign policy chief to visit Russia

GMT 07:30 2017 Wednesday ,12 April

First woman on trial in Saudi

GMT 16:46 2015 Saturday ,25 April

Volkswagen's supervisory board chairman resigns

GMT 20:19 2014 Monday ,13 October

Kuwaiti emir returns home

GMT 08:55 2015 Monday ,22 June

Mars has belts of glaciers, frozen water

GMT 09:50 2012 Thursday ,23 August

Sami Makarem passes away

GMT 13:49 2015 Tuesday ,17 February

Islam urges justice, fairness toward non-Muslims

GMT 18:10 2011 Saturday ,11 June

Fujairah poised to become oil export hub
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
 
 Almaghrib Today Facebook,almaghrib today facebook  Almaghrib Today Twitter,almaghrib today twitter Almaghrib Today Rss,almaghrib today rss  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

.almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday almaghribtoday almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday