 | | | | |
| | | | | |
|
SMOS at a glance An Earth ExplorerMapping soil moisture and ocean salinityImproving our understanding of the water cycleIntroducing a novel use of technologyFacts and figures About the satellite About the launch SMOS in orbit Meet the team Multimedia Image galleryVideosAnimationsOnline resourcesServices
| | | | | | | | | Ready for fuelling | |
Entry 5: SMOS fuelled
8 October 2009 - The hazardous task of fuelling the SMOS satellite with 28 kg of hydrazine propellant has been completed. The team from Thales Alenia Space carried out this important part of the launch campaign yesterday. They wore special protective clothing called a Self-Contained Atmospheric Protective Ensemble (SCAPE).
Always a hazardous operation, the spacecraft was pressurised to the final value of 19 bars. Then the fuelling equipment had to be completely decontaminated and removed from the cleanroom.
| | | Thales fuelling team |
Since it is such a dangerous operation, only selected team members were allowed to remain in the facility so the rest of the team stayed back at the hotel. However, today the cleanroom is back to normal and activities focus on preparations to install SMOS on the launch adapter prior to encapsulation.
In the meantime, the electrical tests on the launch vehicle were completed at the launch pad.
| |
| | Diary in pictures SMOS launch diary Entry 1: SMOS launch campaign beginsEntry 2: SMOS arrives safely at PlesetskEntry 3: SMOS unpacked and checked outEntry 4: Green light to fuelEntry 6: SMOS joins rocket adapterEntry 7: SMOS mated to launcher upper stageEntry 8: SMOS encapsulated in fairingEntry 9: Fairing logo signedEntry 10: SMOS in the launch towerEntry 11: Launch countdown rehearsedEntry 12: Ready for launch!Entry 13: Launch milestonesIn depth Proba missionsPlesetskRelated links EurockotThales Alenia Space
|
