6 August 2002

Status Report of MUSES-C Overall Testing

The fuselage of the MUSES-C engineering spacecraft that was temporarily away from the
Sagamihara Campus for rigging a chemical propulsion engine returned to Sagamihara at the end of
April and started the second half of its overall testing. A preliminary meeting was held on April 
26 where everyone involved participated to discuss testing arrangements. As it is a planetary
explorer, its launch window is restricted, which allows almost no leeway in the schedule for
unexpected delays. During the public holiday after the meeting, therefore, the MUSES-C group
could not take any days off. The intensified competition between instrumental adjustments and
restricted timeframe also shows that the launch is approaching.

With an addition of a new clean room, there are now three spacecrafts placed side by side:
SOLAR-B in the new clean room, and MUSES-C and ASTRO-F in the old clean room. Three satellites
in a row is in fact a rare occurrence. From 9 to 9:30 in the morning, many people can be seen
coming and going between A and C Buildings. It is only here at ISAS where you can hear people
asking which morning meetings they are heading for. So many people are involved in so many
mission projects offering support to each other. As rocket-related work has also started recently,
we see many manufacturers coming in one after another. 

There have been increasingly more visitors and reporters after the new fiscal year started.
Although we are a little annoyed at the same old question, ÒCan you really do such an outrageous
thing?Ó, repeated so often, we welcome and are happy to see their interest in space.