PFS was launched as part
of the “Mars Express” on June 2, 2003, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan. The main objective of the
Mars Express is to search for sub-surface water from orbit and to drop a lander
on the Martian surface. PFS is one
of seven scientific instruments onboard the orbiting spacecraft, which will
perform a series of remote sensing experiments designed to shed new light on
the Martian atmosphere, structure and geology.
Another
PFS unit, also containing PLX retroreflectors, has been launched by ESA on
November 9, 2005 as part of the “Venus Express.” The goal of this program is to perform a global
investigation of the Venusian atmosphere.
ACE-FTS and PFS are the
latest in a long line of instruments to use Space-Qualified Hollow
Retroreflectors build by PLX, dating from the original Apollo-Soyuz mission
more than 30 years ago. These include Beryllium
Retroreflector Assemblies built for the Jet Propulsion Labs’ Thermal Emission
Spectrometer (TES) launched on the Earth Science Enterprise EOS-CHEM
Satellite. PLX also designed and manufactured
the 50cm diameter Retroreflector in Space (RIS) launched by NASDA, the Japanese Space
Agency, on the ADEOS Satellite.
PLX is the world’s leading
manufacturer of Monolithic Optical Structures used in a variety of
aerospace, military, industrial and scientific applications. For more information, contact PLX today
at 631-586-4190 or visit our website at www.plxinc.com.
