A space journey is made up of countdowns, bated breath, the ignition of thrusters that inflate the television screens with clouds, the ascent of a man-made object through the atmosphere.
And there is also a space journey that takes place first: that of mechanical and electronic precision, of attention to every detail, of the collaboration between companies responsible for the creation of individual pieces, which however contribute to a bigger puzzle.
In 2017, Eurotherm accepted the challenge launched by a French company that collaborates with ESA, the European Space Agency. Where the outer shell of a rocket is of crucial importance, given the forces and wear to which it is subjected, Eurotherm found itself involved in the design and construction of a control and verification cabin for the outer bulkheads of the Ariane 5 space launcher by ESA.
An automatic system for the aerospace sector.
In this case, Eurotherm has created an automatic system for lifting and transferring the components to the various areas of the plant, capable of handling each element without affecting its surface.
Not a small task, given that the components of the launcher were not only curved, but were 5 meters long, 3 meters high, and with a diameter of 5.4 meters!
Just to put the realization of this type into perspective: from an initial research objective, the launcher has been diverted to the commercial world. Ariane 5, in fact, is used to bring satellites, microsatellites and small experimental payloads into orbit, and was also used to bring the James Webb telescope into orbit.
The most impressive figure, however, is that relating to resources. The development of Ariane 5 required ten years of work and a 7 billion euro investment. And, we must say, it is exciting to have been part of such a demanding and complex project.
