Solar Orbiter High-Gain Antenna boom steering test
Date: 08 November 2017
Copyright: SENER Aerospace
A steering test of the 1-m long boom used to connect the High-Gain Antenna (HGA) of ESA's Solar Orbiter mission to the spacecraft. The test was performed in November 2017 at SENER – the antenna's prime contractor – in Bilbao, Spain.
The movable boom can extend above or below the heat shield so that the antenna can achieve a reliable link with ground stations on Earth and transmit the huge volumes of data generated by the mission's scientific payload.
Last Update: 1 September 2019