CORPORATE NEWS:
Nexans equips Mars exploration rovers
Nexans, France, has supplied control, signal and power cables for NASA’s Mars exploration rover project, which landed on the red planet during January this year. Nexans manufactured more than 90% of the wire and cable used on the robotic Mars geologist “Spirit”, and its twin exploration rover, “Opportunity”. Jointly designed with engineers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), USA, Nexans’ cables utilise fluoropolymer and fluoropolymer/polyimide-based insulation materials to protect them from extreme environmental conditions on the surface of the planet, where temperatures can plummet to -105°C.
“The cable design used state-of-the-art fluoropolymer/polyimide technology, which provides a construction that is chemically inert and mechanically tough throughout a wide operating temperature range,” commented Mr Michel Lemaire, Nexans’ executive vice-president, North America & Asia Area. He continued: “Our cable allows the scientific instruments onboard the rovers to operate effectively during movement, sample collection and data acquisition”. To be approved for the stringent quality requirements for such space programmes, Nexans utilises a rigorous quality management system. The company’s Elm City manufacturing facility (USA) has produced wire and cable to supply the entire space shuttle fleet and other space programmes.
The mission of the rovers, which landed on the red planet in January 2004, is to determine the history of climate and water at two sites on Mars where conditions may once have been favourable to life. Each of the rovers’ scientific instruments, which include a panoramic camera, spectrometres, microscopic imager and a Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT), will study the geologic record at the sites, and evaluate whether those conditions would have been suitable for life. As specialists in cabling for aerospace applications, Nexans has produced electrical wires and cables for scientific mission satellites, such as Spot5, Jason, IASI, Mars Express, and telecommunications satellites (Globalstar, Express A and A1R, Hispasat, New Bird, Stellat and GE2i). Nexans also announced that it is currently manufacturing electrical wires and cables for the Venus Express, Goce and Herschel & Planck satellites.
Photo: Mars, the red planet, where life could have existed
Photo: The robotic Mars geologist rover and some images of the Mars soil received by NASA
Company: |
Nexans |
Country: |
France |
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+33 1 56 69 84 84 |
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Website: |
www.nexans.com |