This is what Leonardo’s photovoltaic panels will be for Juice (ESA)
The photovoltaic panels built by Leonardo will bring ESA's Juice probe to Jupiter. They are the largest ever built for interplanetary mission
The ten photovoltaic panels destined for the Juice mission (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer), of the Cosmic Vision space program of the European Space Agency (ESA), in which the Italian Space Agency (ASI) participates, are ready.
Leonardo will deliver the panels made in the Nerviano (Milan) plant. – Leonardo announced yesterday – to Airbus Defense and Space Netherlands which will develop the solar panel system of the Juice probe, of which Airbus is prime contractor.
This is a new record for Leonardo, after the milestone of the photovoltaic panels made for the Rosetta mission, says the aerospace and defense group
The space economy sector "produces a turnover of 1.6 billion a year" recalled Leonardo's CEO, Alessandro Profumo, speaking at the virtual event 'Made in Italy: The Restart', organized by Sole 24 Hours and Financial Times .
All the details.
THE JUICE MISSION
Scheduled to launch in 2022, the Juice probe will study Jupiter and its three icy moons – Ganymede, Callisto and Europa – deemed of great interest due to the presence of vast oceans beneath their surface. Its surface and inner layers will be explored in search of conditions favorable to life.
To reach Jupiter, Juice will take almost eight years during which the solar panels will guarantee the energy necessary for the onboard instrumentation. Once at its destination, the probe will be about 780 million km away from the Sun, having to operate in extremely critical conditions.
THE WORK OF LEONARDO
Even during the Covid-19 emergency, underlines the note from the company in Piazza Monte Grappa, Leonardo guaranteed the continuity of the activities respecting the objective of completing the supply.
With the construction of photovoltaic panels for Juice, Leonardo, continues the note, exceeds his technological leadership achieved with the Rosetta mission and manages to create panels for a total area of 85 square meters. These are the largest built to date for an interplanetary mission.
LEONARDO'S PANELS ALSO FOR ARTEMIS
As the note points out, once the Juice panels have been delivered, activities for the construction of photovoltaic panels for the European Service Module that ESA will supply to the Orion shuttle continue in the Nerviano plant. As a contribution to Nasa's Artemis program destined for the return of man to the Moon for 2024.
The European Service Module, powered by Leonardo's photovoltaic systems, will carry the Orion capsule ensuring a safe and comfortable journey to the astronauts housed inside the shuttle.
Leonardo has already provided the panels for the first two missions of the Artemis program, scheduled for 2021 and 2023, which aim to verify and fine-tune the complex integrated transport system between the Earth and the Moon.
In Nerviano, the activities for the solar panels of the third Artemis mission have also recently begun.
THE AGREEMENT SIGNED BETWEEN ITALY AND THE UNITED STATES FOR THE ARTEMIS MISSION
Indeed, on September 25th Italy signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States which will see our country among the partners of the Artemis program.
The Italian contribution to the Artemis program will be detailed with subsequent Implementing Agreements between ASI and NASA. It will cover the provision of crew housing modules, the conduct of scientific experiments and investigations on the lunar surface and the provision of telecommunications services through surface resources and lunar orbital constellations.
THE WEIGHT OF THE SPACE SECTOR FOR LEONARDO
The Artemis project "will generate a turnover of 1 billion", said Leonardo's CEO, Alessandro Profumo , speaking at the virtual event 'Made in Italy: The Restart', organized by Sole 24 Ore and Financial Times .
The group has "five thousand people working" in the space economy sector "which produces a turnover of 1.6 billion a year". This is a sector "that generates a significant volume of employment, allows the development of absolutely unique skills in various sectors", concluded Leonardo's number one.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/ecco-a-cosa-serviranno-i-pannelli-fotovoltaici-di-leonardo-per-juice-esa/ on Fri, 09 Oct 2020 08:54:43 +0000.