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.
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Following its arrival 15 November at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, COROT was immediately transferred to the MIK 112 integration and test building, where it will remain until shortly before launch.
Here, the satellite has undergone a series of functional clean-room tests to check that it is unscathed after its journey, which it made in a particularly comfortable 15-tonne Spacebus 4000 pressurized container, from Alcatel Alenia Space's Telecoms product line.
Although more than wide enough for COROT, the oversized container was needed to accommodate the satellite's sunshield, which is more than 4 metres long.