News archive

News archive

Cluster pair prepare for higher things
Things are looking up for the first pair of Cluster spacecraft as theygradually move further and further from the Earth.So far, the spacecraft have successfully completed three of the four mainengine burns required to raise the apogee (highest point) of their orbits.
Published: 19 July 2000
Status reports from Baikonur/ESOC (first launch)
Status reports from ESOC, ESA's operations centre in Darmstadt (D).The Cluster team have left Baikonur and reporting continues from the controlroom at ESOC. All times are in Central European Summer Time (CEST). Wednesday, 26 July at 9:30 CESTASPOC + CIS cover openingThe covers have been successfully opened on the CIS and ASPOC experiments on both Salsa andSamba. In addition, electric verifications have been performed on ASPOC and anupload of tables on CIS. The instruments are now switched off again, waiting the startof commissioning 10 days after the second launch.
Published: 18 July 2000
First Cluster apogee burn completed
The long, complex process required to elongate the orbits of the first twoCluster spacecraft has begun.The Cluster mission control centre at the European Space Operations Centre(ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, has confirmed that the apogee raising manoeuvre #1was completed successfully early this afternoon.
Published: 17 July 2000
A perfect launch for the first Cluster pair
At 18.39 local time (14.39 CEST) today, the steppes of Kazakhstan reverberated with the roar of rocket engines as a Soyuz-Fregat launch vehicle lifted off from pad 6 at Baikonur Cosmodrome with its precious payload of two Cluster satellites."We have lift off!" came the confirmation on the public address system.
Published: 16 July 2000
Lift off for first pair of Cluster II spacecraft
ESA Press Release N0 49-2000 - Paris, 16 July 2000The European Space Agency's Cluster II mission to explore the magnetosphere is now under way after today's successful launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Published: 16 July 2000
Rumba, Salsa, Samba, Tango prepare to dance In space!
The winner of ESA's "Name The Cluster Quartet" competition was announced yesterday, during a special media event at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany.
Published: 16 July 2000
Cluster launch postponement
Update 16 July 10:50 The State Commission has given the final go-ahead for launch today.The launch of the first pair of ESA's Cluster II spacecraft has been postponed due to an anomaly detected between the ground system and the Soyuz launch vehicle. A State Commission, the official body that authorises the launch, was convened to validate the source of the problem and confirmed that both the Cluster II spacecraft and the Soyuz launch, including the Fregat upper stage, are in nominal configuration. The launch is rescheduled to take place tomorrow, 16 July, at 12:39 GMT (14:39 CEST). The launch will as usual be confirmed by a State Commission which will meet 4 hours before liftoff.
Published: 15 July 2000
Cluster news update
10.00 CEST Last night, highly energetic particles from one of the largest solar flares on record struckthe Earth's magnetosphere and triggered an intense radiation storm in the vicinity ofEarth.
Published: 15 July 2000
European Space Operations Centre briefed on Cluster status
Over 100 members of staff gathered in the conference room at the EuropeanSpace Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, this afternoon tohear the latest status reports on the readiness of the Cluster groundsegment.
Published: 14 July 2000
Cluster camera to catch spacecraft separation
One interesting addition to the Cluster spacecraft's payload of 11 state-of-the-art scientific instruments is a digital camera known as the Visual Monitoring Camera (VMC).
Published: 13 July 2000
Russian State Commission clears Cluster for countdown
The launch of the first pair of Cluster II spacecraft was given the final go-ahead on 11 July in a series of reviews to assess the readiness status of all components.
Published: 12 July 2000
PR 46-2000: Countdown for the Cluster Quartet
Only a few days remain before the start of the European Space Agency's Cluster II mission, a unique expedition to explore the magnetosphere and revolutionise our understanding of the interaction between the Sun and Earth.
Published: 3 July 2000
Fuelling successfully completed for first pair of Cluster II spacecraft
Another major landmark in the Cluster II launch campaign has been completed with the successfulpressurisation and fuelling of the first two spacecraft (FM 6 and FM 7).
Published: 13 June 2000
Italy celebrates contribution to Cluster II
Representatives of ESA and Italian industry today attended a specialCluster II press briefing at the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum ofScience and Technology in Milan.The purpose of the event was to inform the media about the current statusof the Cluster II mission and the key role that Italian industry has playedin the successful completion of the four Cluster II spacecraft, which arenow undergoing pre-launch preparations in Kazakhstan.
Published: 30 May 2000
Cluster II's Spanish success story
Representatives of Spanish industry and the media yesterday joined stafffrom ESA and the Villafranca del Castillo Satellite Tracking Station site(VILSPA) near Madrid to celebrate the inauguration of the VIL-1 antennathat will be used for the ambitious Cluster II mission.
Published: 19 May 2000
Clear skies for Cluster II launch campaign
This week's 34th Cluster Science Working Team (SWT) meeting coincided withgood news from the project team.
Published: 12 May 2000
PR 32-2000: ESA Unveils Spanish Antenna
On 18 May 2000, the European Space Agency (ESA) will inaugurate the VIL-1 antenna that will be used for the Cluster II mission to the magnetosphere. The newly refurbished antenna, which is located at the Villafranca del Castillo Satellite Tracking Station site (VILSPA) near Madrid, has been selected as the prime communication link with the Cluster II spacecraft.
Published: 10 May 2000
Queen's Day Marked By Grand Cluster Lift Off
Queen's Day in Holland will be celebrated on Saturday 29 April with visitsby Queen Beatrix to the coastal towns of Katwijk and Leiden. One of theevents planned for this day of national celebration is the launch of15 000 Cluster balloons from the ESA - Space Expo site on the KatwijkBoulevard.
Published: 28 April 2000
ESA prepares for Cluster II shipment to Baikonur
Following the authorisation from the ESA Flight Acceptance Review Board on 18 April, members of the Cluster II team are preparing for the Cluster II spacecraft's long trip to the Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan.
Published: 21 April 2000
Cluster II Flight Acceptance Review Report
The Cluster II Flight Acceptance Review Board, which was chaired by ESA Director of Science, Professor Roger Bonnet, and co-chaired by ESA Director of Strategy Jean-Jacques Dordain, met at the Agencys Paris Headquarters yesterday to carry out a detailed examination of all aspects of the Cluster II mission.
Published: 3 April 2000
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