Preparations are well on track for the upcoming launch of SEOSAT-Ingenio – scheduled to launch from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana next month.

On 12th October, the team celebrated the Spanish Fiestas del Pilar in honour of the patron saint of the city, the Virgen del Pilar (Our Lady of the Pillar). The whole spacecraft launch campaign team in Kourou posed for a family photo with a ‘Medida de La Virgen’ to wish protection and good luck to SEOSAT-Ingenio, which is waiting on the background of the EGSE room. 

Team photo with a ‘Medida de La Virgen’ (Credits: ESA)

Then, on 15th October, the satellite was loaded with around 80 kg of hydrazine fuel and was pressurised with helium gas to avoid the sloshing of the liquid during launch and flight. The satellite was then switched on – confirming the successful completion of its fuelling.

ESA’s Gianfranco Spinella commented, “The execution of the fuelling and pressurisation operations were concluded with a successful switch-on of the spacecraft, which is yet another major milestone for this project. The amount of loaded propellant will cover SEOSAT-Ingenio for its 10 years of operations, three years more than its nominal mission lifetime. 

Fuelling SEOSAT (Credits: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique Video du CSG – JM Guillon)

“These operations have completed the SEOSAT-Ingenio autonomous preparation phase. We are now looking forward to initiate the next phase of combined operations with the launcher next week.”

This week, after some inspection, cleaning and bagging of the satellite, SEOSAT-Ingenio will be on hold waiting to start combined operations with the launch vehicle but activities will continue with the validation of the umbilical lines and the preparation of the satellite’s Check Out Terminal Equipment on the launch pad.

 

From the ESA SEOSAT-Ingenio launch campaign team in Kourou.

Read more about the SEOSAT-Ingenio mission.