“An instrument destined for Jupiter orbit is checked after completing eight days of cryogenic radio-frequency testing at ESA’s
ESTEC technical centre in the Netherlands.
The
Sub-millimetre Wave Instrument of ESA’s
Juice mission will survey the churning atmosphere of Jupiter and the scanty atmospheres of its Galilean moons.
Testing took place in ESA’s custom-built Low-temperature Near-field Terahertz chamber , or
Lorentz.
The first chamber of its kind, the 2.8-m diameter Lorentz chamber can perform high-frequency radio-frequency testing in realistic space conditions, combining space-quality vacuum with ultra-low temperatures.
“The successful test of the flight hardware inside Lorentz, follows an intensive commissioning phase.” says ESA antenna engineer Paul Moseley. “This demonstration opens up a wide range of testing possibilities for missions to come.”
Meanwhile the flight model of the SWI instrument’s parent Juice spacecraft
has itself reached the ESTEC Test Centre, in preparation for a month long thermal vacuum test campaign.”
