Successful launch of the on-board computer of LISA Pathfinder

2016-01-12 00:00:00
Successful launch of the on-board computer of LISA Pathfinder
The Data Management Unit (DMU) of the LISA Pathfinder mission was launched successfully on the morning of January 11th. Over the next few hours, the software update and verification of the installation on the on-board computer, which controls the experiments of the mission, were also completed. All tasks performed so far have been successful.

DMU marxa 2

The implementation of the on-board computer was made from the operations center of ESA in Darmstadt (Germany), where several members of the group Gravitational Astronomy-LISA from the Institute of Space Sciences (IEEC- CSIC) have moved these days.

DMU marxa 1

This group has designed, built and programmed the Data Management Unit (DMU), and is also responsible for the diagnostic sensors of LISA Pathfinder. “As we launched the DMU, we have already begun to receive data from the magnetic and temperature sensors for the first time”, explain Miquel Nofrarías and Lluís Gesa from Germany. It has also proceeded to start the coils that generate magnetic fields and to measure them with magnetometers, as well as to calibrate the radiation monitor.

All these tasks are part of the commissioning and initial testing equipment phase of a mission of this kind. It is scheduled that scientific experiments would begin on March 1st.

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