ESA's CRISTAL ice satellite moves from assembly into testing
CRISTAL has its solar arrays integrated and is moving from assembly into testing ahead of a late 2027 to early 2028 launch.
CRISTAL, Europe's new ice-monitoring satellite, has its solar arrays integrated and key qualification reviews under way. It is moving from assembly into the testing phase that will show whether it is ready for launch and life in orbit.
Engineers at Airbus in Friedrichshafen, Germany, finished assembling the satellite in September. Tests since then include the first solar panel deployment. Working with launch provider AVIO, the team also checked that the satellite fits its launch adapter and that the release mechanism works. The project also held its Intermediate Qualification Status Review ahead of satellite-level qualification tests.
ESA project manager Kristof Gantois said the satellite passed the tests "with flying colours". It will move from Airbus to ESA's establishment in the Netherlands for environmental tests.
Launch is targeted for late 2027 to early 2028. CRISTAL is set to be the first Copernicus Sentinel Expansion mission to reach orbit. It carries the first dual-frequency radar altimeter and a microwave radiometer to measure sea-ice thickness, snow depth, and ice-sheet elevation.
Sourceesa.int