Final functional tests of BepiColombo underway in Italy

Final functional tests are being carried out on the European spacecraft BepiColombo at the Thales Alenia Space facility in Turin, Italy.

BepiColombo is a joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA.

The project seeks to explore the planet Mercury and its environment.

Following the completion of the tests, BepiColombo will be transported to ESA’s European Space Research and Technology centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, to undergo environmental tests.

Thales Alenia Space Italia chairman and CEO Elisio Prette said: "BepiColombo is one of the most ambitious missions planned by ESA, and has required the development of special technologies to deal with the severe conditions on Mercury.

"We are proud to have reached this significant program milestone, clearly reflecting our ability to meet very daunting technology challenges, even for space exploration."

Built by Airbus Defence and Space as prime contractor, the composite spacecraft is scheduled for launch in mid-2016 from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, aboard an Ariane 5 launch vehicle.

BepiColombo comprises three modules, including the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO).

MTM will propel the spacecraft to Mercury using electric propulsion, while MPO will carry the European observation instruments.

Developed by the JAXA, the MMO will observe the planet’s magnetosphere.

Being part of the core team, Thales Alenia Space coordinates 35 European companies on the work package.

It is responsible for the telecommunications, thermal control and electric power distribution systems, integration and testing of the satellite and support services for the launch campaign.

The company is also supplying the X and Ka-band transponders, onboard computer, mass memory and the high-gain antenna for satellite-ground communications, as well as for the mission’s radio science experiment.

The Italian space agency and industry is also taking part in the mission, with responsibility for four experiments – SIMBIO-SYS, the ISA ultra-sensitive accelerometer, the MORE radio science experiment, and SERENA.

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Image: BepiColombo mission to explore the Mercury planet and its environment. Photo: courtesy of Thales Group.