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Test for Bepi Colombo, mission to Mercury

ESA's Bepi Colombo, the dual spacecraft mission to Mercury, conducted in partnership with Japan, is one of the most challenging ever decided.

Date: Tue, Jan 18, 2011 | 07:15 - 07:30 GMT | 08:15 - 08:30 CET

Type: ESA TV Exchange

Format: 16:9

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE TRANSMISSION AT 7H15 GMT IS ON EBS+ (2ND CHANNEL)AND THE RE-TRANSMISSION AT 16H00 GMT IS ON EBS (FIRST CHANNEL)!

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ESA's Bepi Colombo, the dual spacecraft mission to Mercury, conducted in partnership with Japan, is one of the most challenging ever decided. It is due to be launched by Ariane in 2014. The programme has just passed a significant milestone with the completion of the first crucial thermal tests at ESA's technical & research centre in the Netherlands. ESA's planetary missions can go from one extreme to another: whilst the Rosetta comet probe pursues its journey in the cold depths of deep space, its solar panels having to retain the weak rays of our distant Sun, BepiColombo will be braving the infernal heat around the innermost planet. This A & B-Roll describes the measures taken to preserve the spacecraft and includes interviews with ESA Project Manager Jan van Casteren, two of his team's engineers, and ESA Project Scientist Johannes Benkhoff. The B-Roll interviews are in English, Dutch, Italian and German.

More backgroud information can be found on: http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/area/index.cfm?fareaid=30

Script:
EbS74911.doc

Satellite Parameters: Reception Parameters for 4.8 degrees East Satellite Sirius 4 Transponder B28 Centre Frequency 12245.340 MHz Polarisation Offset 0 degrees Polarisation State Vertical FEC Rate 3/4*188/204 Symbolrate 27.5 Megasymbols/s