Europe has formally started the final countdown for the launch of its Mars Express Satellite, a giant project in which DNV is also playing a part.
On June 2, the European Space Agency will launch Mars Express, its first mission to the red planet, Mars, from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Once arriving at Mars in December 2003, the mission's main objective is to search for sub-surface water from the Martian orbit. The spacecraft's landing probe, Beagle 2, will then be separated and descend down to the surface, where it will deploy its scientific instruments to search for traces of life, past or present, on the Mars surface. Data collected by both the orbiting spacecraft and the landing probe on the surface will be temporarily stored onboard Mars Express and when possible - transmitted back to Earth. The mission is planned to last up to 2007.
Producing a geological map
The Astrium-built stereo camera HRSC will also be on board. The HRSC is a stereoscopic camera that will photograph the Martian surface to reveal detail as small as 1 m. The images will be used to produce a geological map showing the location of different minerals and rock types. The HRSC will make use of a modified second flight model of the High Resolution Stereo Camera originally developed for the Mars 96 mission.
DNV has been responsible for the Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety (RAMS) tasks at system level – for the Mars Express Spacecraft. Under the RAMS contract, DNV has contributed to:
- The design and manufacturing activities linked to RAMS – to ensure that the different units and sub-systems have been designed and manufactured according to the client’s (ESA) and system’s requirements with respect to safety, reliability and failure tolerance. Any single point of failure capable of causing loss or severe degradation to the mission must be detected and controlled
- The assessment and calculation of the overall reliability figures for the Mars Express spacecraft
- Issuing the satellite level Failure Modes Effect Criticality Analysis (FMECA), including the Hardware Software Interaction Analysis, HSIA
- The preparation of the Safety Submission and assessment to be provided to the launch authorities – to demonstrate that all hazardous systems have been designed according to applicable safety requirements
- Interface towards the different unit and experiment manufacturers for Reliability and Safety issues
Assembly, integration and testing
DNV has provided support to the Satellite responsible (Astrium Toulouse) during the Assembly, Integration and Testing (AIT) activities at system level. This has been provided as direct support during the activities to integrate new units manufactured by the lower level contractors on the satellite platform. Once integrated and tested independently, the unit is connected to the satellite interface and the fact that it functions together with the other units on the spacecraft platform is verified.
The 400-million-kilometre (250-million-mile) trip should see Beagle transmit its first signal from the surface of the red planet on Christmas Day 2003.