BepiColombo MMO status update
Abstract
BepiColombo has been defined as the ESA-JAXA joint mission to Mercury with the aim to understand the process of planetary formation and evolution in the hottest part of the proto-planetary nebula as well as to understand similarities and differences between the magneto-spheres of the Mercury and the Earth. The baseline mission consists of two spacecraft: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO). The two orbiters will be launched together on one Ariane5 in 2014. JAXA is responsible for development and operation of MMO. The main objectives of MMO are to study Mercury's magnetic field and plasma environment around Mercury. MMO is designed as a spin-stabilized spacecraft and will be placed in a 400 km x 12000 km polar orbit. EM/MTM/TTM development were finished. MTM test was finished at July 2009. 1SC TTM test was finished and IR test and 10SC test are scheduled on Feb. and Jun., respectively. Subsystem level CDR will be start from March and System CDR is scheduled on Oct. 2010.
- Publication:
-
38th COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- 2010
- Bibcode:
- 2010cosp...38..742H