Test deployment of JUICE's solar panels
Date: 13 October 2020
Copyright: Airbus / Lightcurve Films
In late 2020, all ten flight model solar panels for ESA's JUpiter ICy Moons Explorer (JUICE) arrived at Airbus Defence and Space Netherlands in Leiden, ready to be integrated into solar wings. Each carbon fibre-reinforced honeycomb panel measures approximately 2.5m × 3.5m, and carries a grid of 2356 solar cells (the Photo-Voltaic Array, or PVA). This video (sped up to 2.3 times normal playback speed) shows three of these mounted panels being test-deployed, opening up to span some 11 metres across.
Last Update: 15 April 2021