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| Herschel Upcoming Integrated System Test |
| After arriving at ESTEC on 5 January and having passed its post shipment test, the Herschel Flight Model spacecraft was transferred from its Multi Purpose Trolley onto the Vertical Support Stand (VSS). |
| Date: 18 Jan 2008 |
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| Herschel Flight Model Arrives at ESTEC |
| The Herschel Flight Model (FM) spacecraft has arrived at ESTEC where it will undergo testing during the coming months. Currently the FM comprises the Service Module and the Cryostat Vacuum Vessel. |
| Date: 08 Jan 2008 |
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| Preparations for Acoustic Testing of the Assembled Solar Array and Sunshade |
| Engineers from Dutch Space are installing the flight model Herschel solar array and sunshade in the Large European Acoustic Facility (LEAF) at ESTEC, Noordwijk. |
| Date: 13 Sep 2007 |
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| Assembly of Solar Array and Sun Shade |
| The Flight Models of Herschel's solar array panels and Sun shade are being assembled at ESTEC by Dutch Space engineers. Following environmental testing they will be fitted to the Herschel spacecraft when it arrives at ESTEC later this year. |
| Date: 17 Aug 2007 |
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| Herschel Cryostat Completes Second LSS Test Campaign |
| The Herschel Cryostat has now completed its second test campaign in the Large Space Simulator (LSS) at ESTEC. The initial assessment of the data is very positive, confirming that the repairs introduced after the first test campaign have had the expected effect. |
| Date: 23 Feb 2007 |
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| Herschel Cryostat in Large Space Simulator |
| The Herschel cryostat was moved into the Large Space Simulator at ESTEC on Sunday, 21 January, in preparation for a three week test during which the cryostat will be exposed to vacuum and temperature conditions approaching those that it will be exposed to once Herschel is launched. |
| Date: 22 Jan 2007 |
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| Herschel-SPIRE Testing at ESTEC |
| Between Tuesday, 16 October 2006 and Saturday, 21 October 2006 an engineering radiated susceptibility test and a straylight verification test have been performed at the ESTEC test centre in the frame of the Herschel PLM STM2 programme. |
| Date: 23 Oct 2006 |
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| Herschel and Planck Meet for the First Time |
| The primary reflector for the Planck spacecraft flight model (FM), on its way back to Cannes after a test campaign in the ESTEC LSS test facility, meets for the first time the cryostat belonging to the Herschel spacecraft. The Herschel cryostat has just arrived at ESTEC for a test campaign that will also be performed in the LSS and will run over the next months. |
| Date: 01 Sep 2006 |
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| Second Round of Cryostat Testing in LSS |
| The Herschel core cryostat is back at ESTEC for verification of its thermal and lifetime performance under close-to-space conditions. One year ago the Herschel Structural and Thermal Satellite was undergoing a rigorous test campaign in the ESTEC testing facilities, among other a thermal test in vacuum conditions. |
| Date: 29 Aug 2006 |
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| Preparations for Acoustic Testing of Herschel Structural Model |
| The Herschel Structural Model spacecraft is being prepared for a series of qualification tests in the acoustic test chamber, LEAF, in ESTEC.
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| Date: 06 Mar 2006 |
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| Herschel Ready for Mechanical Vibration and Shock Tests |
| The completed Herschel Structural and Thermal Qualification model satellite has been mounted onto the HYDRA platform in preparation for mechanical vibration and shock tests to complete the environmental qualification campaign. This test is to ensure the satellite can cope with the vibrations experienced during launch by the Ariane V launcher. |
| Date: 01 Feb 2006 |
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| Installation of the Herschel Sunshield |
| The European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory will be the first example of a new generation of space telescopes.
It will be the first space observatory covering the full far infrared and sub-millimetre waveband, and its telescope will have the
largest mirror ever deployed in space. |
| Date: 22 Dec 2005 |
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| Herschel Structural and Thermal Qualification Model |
| The assembly of the Herschel Structural and Thermal Qualification model has been completed in ESTEC. The two main modules constituting the satellite: the payload module and the service module were joined together for the first time last week. After completion of dedicated thermal tests on each module, the assembled satellite will soon undergo mechanical vibration and shock tests to complete the environmental qualification campaign. |
| Date: 30 Nov 2005 |
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| Installation for Space Simulator Test |
| Preparations for the upcoming test of the Herschel payload module in the large space simulator at ESTEC are well underway, with the installation of the module in the test facility. |
| Date: 21 Sep 2005 |
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| Herschel Cryotank |
| Preparations for the testing of the Payload Module in the Large Solar Simulator are continuing. The PLM will eventually house all the instruments and the cryogenic tank for cooling the detector plane to a few Kelvin. The PLM cryostat itself is flight hardware, currently containing science payload focal plane unit (FPU) mass and thermal dummies. The PLM will undergo a series of environmental qualification tests in the months to come |
| Date: 29 Aug 2005 |
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| Herschel Payload Module Test Campaign |
| The next stage in the development of the Herschel mission, the testing of the payload module, has begun. Earlier this year the structural thermal model (STM) of the service module (SVM), which houses the electronics and infrastructure to keep the spacecraft flying, was extensively tested in the Large Solar Simulator at ESA's ESTEC facility. Now the payload module (PLM), which will eventually contain the focal plane instruments, mirror and cryogenic tank, has arrived at ESTEC to undergo similar testing, before the two elements are integrated for a full mechanical test later in the year. |
| Date: 17 Aug 2005 |
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