Belgium’s involvement in the European space adventure involves, in particular, the space center in Liège. A center created in the 1960s and which has become a major player in the development of our satellites and space missions. Its state-of-the-art facilities make it possible, for example, to test the instruments launched by Ariane rockets in Kourou. He therefore also participated, from the start, in the development of the Juice probe which will be launched this Thursday.
At the Liège space center, you have to be equipped because here the slightest dust can compromise the tests. The Juice probe which is about to leave for Jupiter was partly born in this laboratory.
“This box was made 4-5 years ago to accommodate the ten solar panels of the Juice satellite, which are very large in size because Jupiter is very far from Earth. The energy density is lower so it takes large panels. So we integrated two by two the satellite panels in this box”, explains Christophe Grodent, the commercial director of the spatial center.
The structure is placed in a giant tank more than six meters in diameter, which once closed can reproduce extreme conditions. “It’s something unique in the world. It’s never been done. It’s a design that is really specific, that allows you to cycle on large panels, in extremely cold temperatures and extremely hot temperatures” , says Christophe Grodent.
Nearly a hundred people are working on tools capable of validating the instruments sent by Ariane rockets. “The instrument behind me is mounted on a vibrating pot which reproduces the vibrations that a rocket will inject into this instrument. So this kind of test will make it possible to verify that the instrument will hold mechanically during launch. If you break it at launch, you developed it for nothing”, adds Christophe Grodent.
Thanks to this state-of-the-art technology, the Liège space center is proud to have taken part in historic missions, such as the James Webb telescope, today the Juice probe, and tomorrow the third-generation meteorological satellite.
“Once the test is finished, we can put the stamp “certified, validated”, can be launched into space”,
Nothing should be left to chance because the financial stakes are enormous. “There are instruments that cost 50 million, 150 million… and for some, we exceed a billion. You can’t be wrong”, emphasizes Christophe Grodent.
The Liège space center has just received funding of 18 million euros to expand, as part of the future scientific program of the European Space Agency.