ESA Science & Technology - Huygens

Built by an industrial consortium led by Aerospatiale, the Probe System comprises two principal elements:

• the 318 kg Huygens Probe, which entered Titan's atmosphere after separating from the Saturn Orbiter;
• the 30 kg Probe Support Equipment (PSE), which remains attached to the Orbiter after Probe separation.

The Probe itself consists of the Entry Assembly (ENA) cocooning the Descent Module (DM). The ENA provided Orbiter attachment, umbilical separation and ejection, cruise and entry thermal protection, and entry deceleration control. It was jettisoned after entry, releasing the Descent Module.

The DM comprises an aluminium shell and inner structure containing all the experiments and Probe support subsystems, including the parachute descent and spin control devices.

The Probe Support Equipment (PSE) consists of:

• four electronic boxes aboard the Orbiter: two Probe Support Avionics (PSA), a Receiver Front End (RFE) and a Receiver Ultra Stable Oscillator (RUSO)
• the Spin Eject Device (SED)
• the harness (including the umbilical connector) providing power and RF and data links between the PSA, Probe and Orbiter.