INDUSTRY NEWS
Fine Tubes to supply precision tubing for solar orbiter
applications, is delighted to announce that it has been selected to supply specialist tubing for the Chemical Propulsion System (CPS) of the highly anticipated Solar Orbiter project. Contracted by OHB Sweden, Fine Tubes will be manufacturing over 100m of titanium tubing Grade 2 AMS 4942 with an outer diameter of 3.17mm and an inner diameter of 2.66mm. Solar Orbiter is a European Space Agency (ESA) project that will investigate how the Sun creates and controls the heliosphere, its extended atmosphere. The contract to build the satellite has been awarded to Astrium UK who will lead a team of suppliers, including OHB Sweden, and NASA will provide the launcher and contribute instruments to the mission will be co-ordinated with NASA’s Solar Probe Plus to maximise the combined science return.
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Due for launch in 2017, Solar kilometres of the Sun, closer than Mercury, and will image helping to explain how the Sun Orbiter will experience levels of sunlight thirteen times higher than satellites orbiting the Earth and will also need to endure powerful bursts of atomic particles from explosions in the solar atmosphere.
These high-energy bursts can disrupt satellite communications and electrical power distribution systems as well as causing computers to crash. The data provided by Solar Orbiter will, it is hoped, enable scientists to better understand how these violent and
ine Tubes, a leading manufacturer and global distributor of precision tubes for critical
disruptive phenomena are caused. Paul Mallet, Aerospace Business Development Manager at Fine Tubes commented: “The challenging environment in which these tubes must operate necessitates traditional manufacturing processes be improved to meet the demanding technical requirements. We are and of our role in enabling such exciting projects to take place.” On its journey to the Sun, Solar Orbiter will use gravity assists
from Venus and Earth in a series of complex manoeuvres that will depend on the craft’s Attitude and Orbit Control System (AOCS) and the CPS for which Fine Tubes is supplying the tubing. The craft will be propelled into a 168 day- long orbit around the Sun along which it will reach its closest point its highest speed, it will be in an almost stationary orbit, allowing unprecedented observations to be made.
Steve Ashton, Product Assurance Manager at OHB-
www.internationalmetaltube.com
Sweden added: “OHB Sweden, a subsidiary of the European space and technology group OHB, has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Astrium as contractor for the Chemical Propulsion System (CPS) for the Solar Orbiter mission, planned to be launched in 2017. The satellite will perform close-up observations of the Sun, and during its 7 year mission, will experience levels of sunlight thirteen times higher than satellites orbiting the Earth. Fine Tubes were selected as supplier for the high quality seamless titanium tubing required to of high quality and cleanliness levels needed for the Chemical Propulsion System.” Solar Orbiter continues a long tradition of European Sun explorers, including Helios 1 and 2, Ulysses, and SOHO, all developed in partnership with NASA, as well as ESA’s PROBA-2.
More information on Fine Tubes Ltd
t: +44 (0) 844 822 1658 m: +44 (0) 7739 461 061
abigail@singletonpr.com
IMT June/July 2014 7
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