Solar Orbiter Antenna Reflector Assembly
The Antenna Reflector Assembly (ARA) of ESA's Solar Orbiter mission ready for testing at Airbus in Friedrichshafen, Germany in March 2017.
The dish was obtained from a 7-cm thick slab of titanium which was heated to 940 degrees Celsius and then pressed in a mould to create a dome-like shape only 70 mm thick, and eventually reduced to about 1 mm thickness in a milling machine.
Last Update: 1 September 2019