Recently, as a Sino-European deep space cooperation project, the pilot project of continental space science (Phase II) - the solar wind magnetosphere interaction panoramic imaging satellite (also known as the "Smile Project") payload magnetometer extension rod was tested, and successfully implemented at the European Space Research and Technology Center of the European Space Agency.
According to the National Space Science Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the payload magnetometer of the "Smile Project" satellite is developed by the State Key Laboratory of Space Meteorology of the Center, and after acceptance and delivery in accordance with the European Space Agency standards, it is integrated into the payload module developed by the European side. As an important moving part of the "Smile Project" satellite, whether the magnetometer extension rod can be smoothly deployed in orbit will directly affect the realization of the scientific objectives of the mission.
The magnetometer (including the boom) arrived at the European Space Research and Technology Centre in January 2022 after airbus Spain integrated and tested the structural thermal controls of the load compartment of the "Smile Project" mission. The test is carried out after the hot vacuum test of the load chamber to verify the mechanical and electrical properties of the magnetometer and the load chamber, the remote control expansion function of the extension rod, and the effectiveness of the thermal vacuum test.
This is the first chinese space product to conduct such an experiment at the European Space Research and Technology Center. The thermal control of the electronic control box structure of the extreme ultraviolet aurora imager developed by the center also participated in the thermal vacuum test.
Affected by the epidemic, the outreach rod that was originally planned to be implemented by the Chinese team was changed to be operated by the European team. After full organization, coordination and communication, the development teams of the two sides overcame many difficulties caused by differences in language, habits and standard specifications, and successfully completed this important system-level test.
The National Space Science Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said that as a space science project of in-depth cooperation between China and Europe, the "Smile Project" satellite is deeply integrated in the process of demonstration, design, manufacturing to delivery and integration testing. As a milestone node in the development process, the success of the magnetometer extension rod test not only shows that the function and performance of the magnetometer scoring system and the load bay are integrated to meet the task requirements, but also marks that the Joint Development Team of China and Europe in the "Smile Plan" task has reached an agreement on the development specifications, technical processes, test methods and evaluation standards, truly realizing the deep integration of technology and management, laying a solid foundation for the successful implementation of the task.
Image: Video screenshot of the SMILE task magnetometer rod unfolding test process (Source: ESA website)