The LISA Pathfinder control team conducting flight operations at ESA’s ESOC mission control centre, Darmstadt, Germany, on 27 June 2017.
After two years in orbit, LISA Pathfinder has already achieved much more than originally planned: to test in flight instruments that are enormously precise and to demonstrate that the technology will be capable of detecting gravity waves when used in the future full-scale LISA mission.
With its prime technology demonstration mission complete, the satellite’s final days will be dedicated to testing a number of operational procedures that could not be accommodated during its active mission.
The team are now preparing the satellite for its final disposal manoeuvres and shut down, set for 18 July.
More information
http://sci.esa.int/lisa-pathfinder/59238-lisa-pathfinder-to-conclude-trailblazing-mission
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/LISA_Pathfinder_operations