The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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A pre-test configuration inside ESA's Large Space Simulator for the thermal vacuum testing of the MetOp-C payload module, due to undergo testing here next spring.
Next year’s test involves verifying the operation of MetOp’s instruments in space-like vacuum conditions. In order to do so, cryogenically cooled ‘blackbodies’ need to be fitted in front of the instrument openings or radiators.
These include bringing down temperatures to within 40 degrees of absolute zero in the vicinity of MetOp-C’s Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) – an instrument which incorporates a ‘cold box’ to allow precise temperature and humidity sounding of the different layers of the atmosphere.
Other instruments have their own precise temperature requirements, including some provided by the US NOAA, French space CNES and Eumetsat as well as ESA.