![](\"http:\/\/www.esa.int\/var\/esa\/storage\/images\/esa_multimedia\/images\/2018\/10\/bepicolombo_magnetometer_boom_deployed\/17838510-1-eng-GB\/BepiColombo_magnetometer_boom_deployed_small.jpg\")
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\nThe 2.5 m long boom carrying the magnetometer sensors onboard ESA\u2019s BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) has been successfully deployed. The sensors are now prepared to measure the magnetic field on the way to Mercury.\n<\/p>\n
\nFollowing launch<\/a> last weekend, and having completed the \u2018launch and early orbit phase<\/a>\u2019 on Monday, confirming the spacecraft and systems were healthy and functioning now they are in space, attention has now turned to checking the suite of scientific instruments on the science orbiters.\n<\/p>\n \nAs part of this activity, one more piece of hardware had to be deployed: the magnetometer boom onboard the MPO. The deployment, which took about one minute to complete, was captured in a series of images taken by one of the monitoring cameras onboard the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM).\n<\/p>\n \nThe transfer module is equipped with three monitoring cameras \u2013 or \u2018M-CAMs\u2019 \u2013which provide black-and-white snapshots in 1024 x 1024 pixel resolution. The magnetometer boom is seen in M-CAM 2. The images were taken with an exposure of 40 milliseconds, and a time interval of six seconds between images, starting at 12:40:09 GMT (14:40:09 CEST) on 25 October. Eleven images were taken in the sequence \u2013 eight of them capture the motion of the boom, and three are shown here. Click here<\/a> to see the full deployment sequence.\n<\/p>\n \nAt the same time, the sensors in the boom itself recorded the local magnetic field<\/a> during the deployment. \n<\/p>\n \nThe M-CAMs already returned space \u2018selfies\u2019<\/a> in the days after launch, featuring the MTM\u2019s deployed solar wings and MPO\u2019s antennas \u2013 activities which were confirmed first by telemetry. A portion of the array can be seen towards the right in this orientation, and the cone-shaped medium-gain antenna is in the lower part of the image on the left.\n<\/p>\n \nThe monitoring cameras will be used at various occasions during the seven year cruise phase. While the MPO is equipped with a high-resolution scientific camera, this can only be operated after separating from the MTM upon arrival at Mercury in late 2025 because, like several of the 11 instrument suites, it is located on the side of the spacecraft fixed to the MTM during cruise.\n<\/p>\n \nOnce at Mercury, the magnetometer will measure the planet\u2019s magnetic field, the interaction of the solar wind, and the formation and dynamics of the magnetosphere \u2013 the magnetic \u2018bubble\u2019 around the planet. Together with measurements captured by a similar instrument suite onboard JAXA\u2019s Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, the spacecraft will provide scientists with data that will help investigate the dynamic environment of the planet, as well as the origin, evolution and current state of the planet\u2019s magnetic field and its interior.\n<\/p>\n \nBepiColombo is a joint endeavour between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA. It is the first European mission to Mercury, the smallest and least explored planet in the inner Solar System, and the first to send two spacecraft to make complementary measurements of the planet and its dynamic environment at the same time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \nThe 2.5 m long boom carrying the magnetometer sensors onboard ESA’s BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) has been successfully deployed. The sensors are now prepared to measure the magnetic field on the way to Mercury.\n<\/p>\n \nFollowing launch<\/a> last weekend, and having completed the ‘launch and early orbit phase<\/a>’ on Monday, confirming the spacecraft and systems were healthy and functioning now they are in space, attention has now turned to checking the suite of scientific instruments on the science orbiters.\n<\/p>\n \nAs part of this activity, one more piece of hardware had to be deployed: the magnetometer boom onboard the MPO. The deployment, which took about one minute to complete, was captured in a series of images taken by one of the monitoring cameras onboard the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM).\n<\/p>\n \nThe transfer module is equipped with three monitoring cameras – or ‘M-CAMs’ –which provide black-and-white snapshots in 1024 x 1024 pixel resolution. The magnetometer boom is seen in M-CAM 2. The images were taken with an exposure of 40 milliseconds, and a time interval of six seconds between images, starting at 12:40:09 GMT (14:40:09 CEST) on 25 October. Eleven images were taken in the sequence – eight of them capture the motion of the boom, and three are shown here. Click here<\/a> to see the full deployment sequence.\n<\/p>\n \nAt the same time, the sensors in the boom itself recorded the local magnetic field<\/a> during the deployment. \n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n