The launch of NASA's High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI) set for July has been delayed until at least January next year by a pre-flight test error at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The $65 million HESSI spacecraft was undergoing launch vibration testing on a shake table, but was shaken 10 times harder than the intended 2g. For 200 milliseconds, the spacecraft endured vibration 20 times greater than intended. As a result, at least two of the four solar panels on the HESSI satellite were cracked and tests are being conducted to see whether the craft has been damaged internally.
The 385kg (850lb) Spectrum Astro-built satellite is designed to explore the basic physics of particle acceleration and the energy release of solar flares from its 576km (360 miles) orbit.
Source: Flight International
