ESA - Robotic Exploration of Mars - ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter core module during integration at Thales Alenia Space, Cannes

Pictured here is the ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) core module during integration of its electrical subsystems at Thales Alenia Space, Cannes, France in November 2014. The lower part of the core module (partially covered with plastic sheet) is the service module, which houses the majority of the non-instrument subsystems. The openings half way up the upper part of the core module are where the shafts that hold the solar arrays will pass through the structure to the rotation mechanisms inside. The gold finish around the openings will protect the structure from any solar radiation that might enter through the gaps in the thermal blankets through which the shafts pass.