From Bremen via Kourou to comet "67 P"
Bremen, 12 December 2003
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Premiere: Ariane 5 for the first time to fly through deep space at a speed of 40,000 km/h
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Tailor-made: Ariane 5 upper stage for Rosetta comet chaser on its way to Kourou
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Mission profile: "barbeque mode"
On the night of Thursday-Friday, Bremen-based EADS SPACE Transportation sent the Ariane 5 upper stage for the Rosetta mission on its way to the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The journey onboard the special container vessel "MN Toucan" to Kourou will take about two weeks. The launch window for the Rosetta mission aboard Ariane 5 will be open from 26 February 2004 for almost three weeks (17 March). After a flight time of about ten years, Rosetta will reach the Churyumov-Gerasimenko "67 P" comet and land there. In its function as industrial prime contractor to the European Space Agency ESA, EADS Astrium in Friedrichshafen has implemented the Rosetta project.
"By providing German high technology, we - EADS SPACE Transportation and EADS Astrium - once again underline Europe's top position in comet research," said Josef Kind, President of EADS SPACE Transportation, on the occasion of the shipment of the Ariane 5 upper stage in Bremen on Friday. "These two missions - of both the upper stage and the Rosetta spacecraft - are technological challenges and we in Germany are very proud that they have been mastered so extremely well," continued Mr. Kind.
Setting out for such a long journey, however, necessitates a European premiere: Different to usual launches - of satellites, for instance - the upper stage of the European Ariane 5 launcher accelerates to escape speed, i.e. a speed of almost 40,000 kilometres per hour, on the Rosetta mission in order to be able to leave Earth's orbit and to thus start its journey through deep space.
Instead of re-igniting immediately after separation from the main stage as usual, the upper stage EPS, which was developed and built under the leadership of EADS SPACE Transportation, and its Rosetta payload will start a 105-minute coasting flight first. Then, the upper stage will be re-ignited to achieve escape speed after a burning time of a good 16 minutes. Rosetta will be delivered and start its more than 10-year journey to comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko in search of pristine materials to find an answer to the question on the orgin of life.
In order to be able to carry out this demanding manoeuvre, EADS SPACE Transportation had to re-qualify the upper stage and to implement the following modifications:
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For the first time, the upper stage was equipped with larger tanks, allowing to take more propellants and thus to increase thrust.
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In order to keep temperature aboard the upper stage under control during the 105-minute free flying phase, the upper stage will rotate on its longitudinal axis. The so-called "barbeque mode" ensures that the sun does not only heat one side of the upper stage but has a uniform impact on the entire stage. In addition, the propellants will be pre-heated to allow proper ignition.
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For this mission, the complete upper stage including all systems such as engine, tanks and feeder systems underwent specific testing.
EADS SPACE Transportation is the European space transportation and orbital infrastructures specialist. It designs, develops and produces Ariane launchers, the Columbus laboratory and the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) for the International Space Station, atmospheric re-entry vehicles, missiles for France's nuclear deterrent force, propulsion systems and space equipment. EADS SPACE Transportation is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS. In 2002, EADS SPACE achieved a turnover of EUR 2.2 billion with a labour force of 12,300 in Germany, France, Spain and the UK.
Your contact:
Kirsten Leung
EADS SPACE Transportation
Phone: +49/(0)421/539-5326
Telefax: +49/(0)421/539-4534
E-Mail: Kirsten.Leung@space.eads.net
