News
- Titlee2v CCD rockets to Venus with the European Space Agency
- Date28 November 2005
An e2v CCD image sensor was rocketed into space on 9 November as part of the European Space Agency’s new fact-finding mission to Venus. The ‘Venus Express’ will study the chemistry and composition of Venus’ hot, high pressure atmosphere, relying on the e2v device to help it reach its destination. Data collected will provide unprecedented detail on the planet’s surface and history.
The e2v CCD47-20 is a startracking device, which has been incorporated into the spacecraft’s startracker camera – a vital component in the mission’s guidance system. The CCD looks at the stars as it travels, referring to its built-in star map to determine its exact location. By knowing the spacecraft’s current location, the imaging device can then communicate where it needs to move to next. This continual process of scanning, tracking and feedback should enable the Venus Express to safely reach its destination, a journey scheduled to take approximately five months, and to pinpoint its specific research targets upon arrival. Responding to operational requirements in orbit, it will also enable the spacecraft to change orientation, accurately re-pointing the satellite in a new direction.
The 1k x 1k pixel frame transfer, front-illuminated CCD from e2v technologies is proving popular with missions of this type. This is the third in a series to be derived from the navigation camera currently guiding the ESA Rosetta spacecraft to its rendezvous with a comet. The second e2v sensor helped the ESA Mars Express to reach the Red Planet, which it has been orbiting for almost two years.
David Morris, Principal Applications Engineer at e2v comments: “The CCD47-20 is becoming one of our space heritage devices. Due to its proven success in other programmes and its reliable interplanetary design, it is trusted for new scientific missions like the Venus Express. We are privileged to work with the European Space Agency on this and other missions. We are also involved in the supply of similar CCDs to the Japanese space agency (JAXA) for another mission to Venus, known as ‘Planet-C’, where the imaging device will be a key part of a scientific instrument, rather than a part of the guidance system.”
Venus Express will undertake the most detailed survey of Venus’ atmosphere to date. It will look into the atmosphere’s chemical composition and dynamics, as well as its interactions with the planet’s surface and wider environment. Analysis of the data collected is hoped to lead to a better understanding of the planet’s surface and its history.
The spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at Venus in April 2006.
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