ScienceDaily (Oct. 14, 2005) — Preparations for ESA's Venus Express mission passed a new milestone when the spacecraft was attached to its Fregat upper-stage rocket. The mission is now only two weeks away from launch on 26 October.

The composite unit of the launch vehicle adapter (LVA) and the Venus Express spacecraft, together called the 'stack', has been mechanically mated with the Fregat upper-stage rocket.

The activity was classified as 'hazardous' since both the spacecraft and the Fregat upper-stage are already fully loaded with highly flammable and toxic propellant. Venus Express carries around 570 kilograms and Fregat about 5000 kilograms of propellant.

The activity was carried out by a combined team from the Venus Express industrial consortium and the team from NPO-Lavotchkin who are designing and building the Fregat upper-stage.

Next activities include the connection of the umbilical cables between Fregat and the LVA, through which the Venus Express spacecraft is powered and commanded while still on the ground. This will be followed by a short spacecraft switch-on and functional test to provide a very basic validation of the spacecraft's on-board hardware.

On 12 October 2005, at the Upper Composite Integration Facility at Baikonur, the mechanical mating took place of the 'stack', the composite of the launch vehicle adapter and the Venus Express spacecraft, with the Fregat upper-stage rocket. (Credit: ESA)

Related Stories

Successful Venus Express Main Engine Test (Feb. 21, 2006) — One hundred days after beginning its cruise to Venus, ESA's Venus Express spacecraft successfully tested its main engine for the first time in ...  > read more

Venus Mission May Hold Surprises For Scientists And Public (Nov. 2, 2005) — University of Colorado at Boulder planetary scientist Larry Esposito, a member of the European Space Agency's Venus Express science team, believes the upcoming mission to Earth's "evil twin" planet ...  > read more

Earth-like Lightning On Venus, European Space Probe Confirms (Nov. 29, 2007) — Venus is a hellish place of high temperatures and crushing air pressure. The European Space Agency's Venus Express mission adds into this mix the first confirmation that the Venusian atmosphere ...  > read more

Cassini Begins 7-Year Voyage To Saturn (Oct. 16, 1997) — The international Cassini mission lifted off at 4:43 am EDT (0843 GMT) Wednesday from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft will arrive at Saturn in 2004 to begin studying the ringed planet and its ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Finding Double Stars