Technicians in protective gear prepare to fill the LISA Pathfinder propulsion module with propellant.
This phase of launch preparation is particularly dangerous because the propellant is toxic, and there is also a risk of explosion, so it is carried out in a dedicated building, S5B, at the Centre Spatial Guyanais in Kourou, French Guiana.
LISA Pathfinder will test the fundamental technologies and instrumentation needed for such an observatory, demonstrating them for the first time in space. LISA Pathfinder is currently scheduled for launch with Arianespace flight VV06 – the sixth launch of Europe’s small Vega launcher – on 2 December at 04:15:00 UTC.
Follow the team’s preparations for launch