ESA Venus Express Status Report No. 32 – Operational Updates
20 Jun 2006 15:09
Report for Period 11 June to 17 June 2006
During the reporting period, Venus Express experienced its first Safe Mode since launch. This occured on 12 June, DoY 163, at the end of a data recovery action due to a ground station problem on DoY 162.
The spacecraft is now back in routine operations and nominal planning for the upcoming week has already been resumed. The Safe Mode triggering event is being analysed.
The table below shows a chronology of the main activities in the reporting period:
| MET (Day) | Date | DOY | VPER# | Main Activity |
| 215 | 11/06/06 | 162 | 51 | Routine science operations |
| 216 | 12/06/06 | 163 | 52 | Routine science operations and SC Safe Mode |
| 217 | 13/06/06 | 164 | 53 | SC Safe Mode recovery |
| 218 | 14/06/06 | 165 | 54 | SC Safe Mode recovery |
| 219 | 15/06/06 | 166 | 55 | Bistatic Radar observation only |
| 220 | 16/06/06 | 167 | 56 | Routine science operations |
| 221 | 17/06/06 | 168 | 57 | Bistatic Radar observation only |
At the end of the last Cebreros pass in the reporting period (DOY 168, 14:00) Venus Express was orbiting Venus at 194 million km from the Earth. The one-way signal travel time was 647 seconds.
Payload Activities
ASPERA
The instrument is regularly operated. At the time of the Safe Mode the instrument was ON and was powered OFF by the payload safing procedure. Nominal operations have been resumed in orbit 56.
MAG
The instrument is regularly operated as part of the routine plan. At Safe Mode transition the instrument was ON and it has been powered OFF by the payload safing procedure. After the Safe Mode the instrument has been switched ON again on DoY 165 in Solar Wind mode as agreed with the PI. Nominal planning has been resumed in orbit 56.
PFS
The instrument is currently OFF and is not included in the routine planning. Any further attempt to move the scanner is now suspended until further notice.
SPICAV
The instrument is regularly operated as part of the routine plan. At safe mode transition the instrument was OFF with shutter closed.
VeRA
Attitude commands for the bistatic operations in orbits 55 and 57 have been recalculated at ESOC in an extremely short time and merged with the nominal activities of orbit 56. Spacecraft operations during the two bistatic radar observations have been fully nominal. Some evidence of echoes have been seen in real-time at the DSN Canberra station and data are now being processed by the PI teams for further evidence.
VIRTIS
The observations during orbit 51 were completely skipped. At spacecraft Safe Mode transition the instrument was OFF. The instrument is now regularly operated as part of the routine plan.
VMC
At spacecraft safe mode transition the instrument was OFF and it is now regularly operated as part of the routine plan. Sun avoidance is routinely checked manually.
Future Milestones
The spacecraft Safe Mode is now fully recovered and the impact on the orbit assessed. Commands for the next planning period have been generated already taking this deviation into account. The orbit determination process has assessed that there is no need for an orbit control manoeuvre in the next planning period therefore this will be executed only at the end of August.
Medium Term Planning 2 has started on 4 June and will be completed by 1 July after four weeks of activities.
The next milestone for the mission is the preparation of the Mission Commissioning Results Review to be held end of June.
