The larger of two spacecraft passengers on Arianespace’s upcoming Ariane 5 mission is being fueled at the Spaceport in French Guiana as preparations accelerate for this second heavy-lift flight of 2009.
Fueling of the Herschel space telescope is being performed in the Spaceport’s S5 payload processing facility, readying this 3,300-kg. platform for its May 6 liftoff with another space science spacecraft – the Planck observatory.
Both Herschel and Planck were developed in programs managed by the European Space Agency, which is Arianespace’s customer for this flight.
Herschel will be the largest space telescope ever launched, and is designed to provide astronomers with their best views of the universe at far-infrared and sub-millimeter wavelengths.
Data gathered by Herschel will be used to study the formation of stars and galaxies, and to investigate the relationship between the two.
Prime contractor for the spacecraft is Thales Alenia Space, which leads an industrial consortium that includes Astrium and a range of subcontractors throughout Europe.
Herschel is to be accompanied on the Ariane 5’s dual-payload launch by Planck, which will observe the Big Bang’s relic radiation – also known as the Cosmic Microwave Background.
Astronomers utilize small fluctuations in this radiation’s temperature to better understand the universe’s origin and the formation of galaxies.
Planck’s weight at liftoff will be approximately 1,900 kg., and the observatory also was produced by a Thales Alenia Space-led industrial team.
After deployment by Ariane 5, Planck and Herschel will follow transfer trajectories for their 1.5 million kilometer voyages to the Sun-Earth system’s second Lagrange point (L2).
Share This Article With Planet Earth
