Gaia: The Satellite and Payload

Mathematics – Logic

Scientific paper

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Esa, Gaia, Space Astrometry

Scientific paper

This paper summarises the main features of the Gaia technical baseline as of mid-2004. The Gaia spacecraft, to be put in a Lissajous-type orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrangian point L2, was redesigned in 2002 to be launched with a Soyuz-Fregat launcher. The satellite, with a `wet' mass of 1428 kg and 1331 W of power, consists of a payload and a service module, which are mechanically and thermally decoupled. The sun shield assembly has a span of 11.50 m when deployed, with a fixed solar array of annular type, installed on the bottom side of the service module, like Planck. While the temperature of the service module is ˜ 20° C, the payload module is at ˜ 160 K, with a temperature stability requirement of ˜50 µK. The payload, thermally insulated, is composed of two astrometric instruments and an integrated radial velocity spectrometer and photometric instrument, with CCDs as detectors and mirrors made all by SiC, mounted on a single structural torus (˜3 m diameter), also made by SiC. The system, together with the very quiet L2 orbit, provides a stable environment for the payload optical bench. The science data, dumped on ground by an X-band TM link at a rate of 5 Mbps, will be retrieved by a single ground station (Cebreros), with a minimum visibility of 6-8 h per day. The nominal stellar data acquisition time is 5 yr, extendable to 6 yr. To reach Gaia's scientific objectives, comprehensive technology activities have been identified and a Gaia Technology Plan has been established and implemented. This Plan aims at developing the identified technology to a breadboard readiness level, tested in the relevant environment before the start of Phase B. This paper summarizes the current mission technical concept and introduces the technological developments required to make the Gaia mission feasible.

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