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Unmanned Spaceflight.com _ BepiColombo _ BepiColombo Launch & Cruise Phase

Posted by: nprev Oct 17 2018, 03:23 PM

The adventure is about to begin! We'll discuss it here. http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/BepiColombo/Watch_BepiColombo_launch?fbclid=IwAR2w1-rMVdVrMJ1Y_VH4PHsYvPizuxSbsbdrCWHh0XvsPu1Y7apPzpM7l3w, launch currently slated for 20 Oct/0145 UTC.

GO BEPICOLOMBO!!!

Posted by: nprev Oct 20 2018, 12:45 AM

30 min until ESA feed goes live.

Posted by: Bjorn Jonsson Oct 20 2018, 12:53 AM

A very interesting followup to the Messenger mission. It's past midnight where I live but I'm finding it impossible to go to sleep until I've seen the launch...

Posted by: nprev Oct 20 2018, 01:16 AM

Should be a fascinating mission.

T- 30 min now, feed is live! smile.gif

Posted by: nprev Oct 20 2018, 01:47 AM

GO!!!!!!!

Posted by: Bjorn Jonsson Oct 20 2018, 01:52 AM

WOW!!!
So far so good.

Posted by: nprev Oct 20 2018, 02:13 AM

Spacecraft separation. smile.gif

Thread title edited to reflect the fact that they're on their way.

Posted by: Bjorn Jonsson Oct 20 2018, 02:27 AM

It's alive!! Signal acquisition!

Posted by: MahFL Oct 20 2018, 02:50 AM

QUOTE (Bjorn Jonsson @ Oct 20 2018, 03:27 AM) *
It's alive!! Signal acquisition!


Awesome, missed the launch as I had to deal with a work problem.

Posted by: Explorer1 Oct 20 2018, 03:00 AM

Solar arrays deployed!
And a day later, first images from the engineering cameras! http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2018/10/BepiColombo_s_first_image_from_space

Posted by: nprev Oct 21 2018, 07:52 PM

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2018/10/BepiColombo_images_high-gain_antenna?fbclid=IwAR3r3WkpG6WhI5CcOkj2K0Rxnr76WYIbUfuOMLFEx14Xpj5bAQJAn2moXmA images.

Think we're likely to see some extraordinarily cool selfies at Mercury (and perhaps during the Earth and Venus flybys as well.) smile.gif

Posted by: Roby72 Oct 21 2018, 09:21 PM

Only the engineering cameras will be active during the flybys...when the enter orbit around Mercury in 2025 - this will be the beginning of science with the optical instruments.
Does anyone know the specs of the camera/lenses used with the science cameras?

Posted by: charborob Oct 22 2018, 12:01 AM

QUOTE (Roby72 @ Oct 21 2018, 05:21 PM) *
Only the engineering cameras will be active during the flybys...when the enter orbit around Mercury in 2025 - this will be the beginning of science with the optical instruments.
Does anyone know the specs of the camera/lenses used with the science cameras?

Some information https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/bepicolombo/simbio-sys.

Posted by: nogal Oct 26 2018, 12:18 PM

BepiColombo continues to fare well. The magnetometer boom deployed correctly, as seen in this http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2018/10/BepiColombo_magnetometer_boom_deployed_-_gif_sequence, and first measurements of the local magnetic field have been made.
Fernando

Posted by: nogal Dec 5 2018, 03:13 PM

The testing of BepiColombo's four electric propulsion thrusters went well, as reported by ESA http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/BepiColombo_now_firing_on_all_cylinders.
This was a critical procedure that had to be executed during a window when the spacecraft was continuously in full view of the ground antennas.
The first thrust arc will begin in mid-December.
The above mentioned article also contains a short movie of BepiColombo's seven year journey to Mercury, highlighting all the gravity assist planetary encounters.

Posted by: nogal Dec 18 2018, 08:09 PM

ESA http://m.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/BepiColombo_s_first_routine_firing_in_space that BepiColombo has initiated its first thrust arc, which will last 2 months.
The ion thrusters' maximum planed thrust for the entire journey is 250 mN, equivalent to the pull of 250 ants (!) blink.gif
Fernando

Posted by: monty python Dec 19 2018, 06:29 AM

Great news. And a cool selfie.

Posted by: nogal Apr 5 2019, 02:12 PM

BepiColombo continues to work well. Here is an excerpt from the latest ESA release:

QUOTE
Following a series of tests conducted in space over the past five months, the ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission has successfully completed its near-Earth commissioning phase and is now ready for the operations that will take place during the cruise and, eventually, for its scientific investigations at Mercury.

And the release: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/BepiColombo/BepiColombo_is_ready_for_its_long_cruise

Fernando

Posted by: MahFL Apr 6 2019, 01:46 AM

QUOTE (nogal @ Apr 5 2019, 02:12 PM) *
BepiColombo continues to work well. Here is an excerpt from the latest ESA release:

And the release: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/BepiColombo/BepiColombo_is_ready_for_its_long_cruise

Fernando


They mentioned some ongoing issues, but did not say what they were.

Posted by: bobik May 28 2019, 04:56 AM

http://phebus.projet.latmos.ipsl.fr/en/actualite/necp-phase-3-en-direct/ of PHEBUS on BepiColombo MPO.

Posted by: nogal Jun 18 2019, 02:59 PM

On June 17 BepiColombo used its on-board monitoring cameras to take some selfies.Here is the ESA release http://m.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2019/06/Monitoring_camera_checkout
The release includes a link to a cool tool: https://bepicolombo.esac.esa.int/itl-viewer/bcattitude/ I find it requires a screen larger than that of a mobile phone.
Fernando

Posted by: nogal Nov 8 2019, 06:23 PM

An interesting ESA article with some details about Bepi Colombo's thermal environment and challenges:
http://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/How_we_heat-proofed_ESA_s_Mercury_mission

Fernando

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