Deployment of the antenna at Tsukuba Space Center. Photos courtesy of JAXA.
JAXA completed an antenna deployment test using a protoflight model of the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) at the Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC.) The AMSR2 will be loaded onto the GCOM-W1. The antenna will be stowed when the GCOM-W1 is launched, and about 11 hours after the launch, bolts will be cut by pyrotechnics and the antenna will be deployed by a spring attached to the joint part of the strut. During the test, the impact caused by the antenna deployment was proved to be less than the specified level. JAXA also confirmed that the deployment was successfully performed in a vacuum of the mock space environment.