Assembly of the Planck Proto-flight Model
30 November 2005
The assembly of the Planck Proto-flight Model has been completed in AAS-F in Cannes. The two main modules constituting the satellite: the payload module and the service module were joined together for the first time last week.The assembly operation was very challenging, especially due to the extended accommodation of the primary cooler stage spread over the service module radiator panels and the cryo structure for the pipework, heat exchanger and 20 Kelvin cold end. The satellite will soon undergo thermal vacuum test in order to verify the thermal control and the correct functioning of the primary cooler stage (sorption cooler) under representative environmental conditions.
Last Update: 1 September 2019