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
Go to topicThank you for liking
You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!
A 16 m-long radar boom that is part of ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer was tested with the help of a helicopter close to Friedrichshafen, Germany, on 20–21 September 2017. The Radar for Icy Moons Exploration instrument will probe below the surface of Jupiter’s icy moons using ice-penetrating radar.
In order to measure key antenna characteristics, and to verify computer simulations, a test was carried out using a simplified mock-up of the spacecraft, simplified solar arrays and a representative antenna. The model spacecraft hung 150 m below the helicopter and flew trajectories between 50m and 320 m above the ground. The tests were performed with the antenna and solar array in horizontal and vertical orientation with respect to the spacecraft, to understand the interaction between the spacecraft components and the antenna, and to test the characteristics of the returned signals.