Posted by tourdemars to Mars Express at May 12, 2005 12:13 PM

A radar boom antenna aboard Europe’s Mars Express satellite that had failed to lock into place was successfully deployed May 10-11 after ground controllers maneuvered the satellite to expose the boom to the sun, according to the European Space Agency (ESA) and European scientists. The successful operation makes it more likely that ESA will authorize deployment of the second 20-meter-long boom in the coming weeks following an investigation into the first boom’s problem.