Power
GOCE has fixed solar panels, which will produce 1,300 W of power and cover the Sun-facing side of GOCE.
The ion propulsion electric engine, designed and built at QinetiQ's space centre in Farnborough, ejects xenon ions at velocities exceeding 40,000 m/s, which will compensate for the orbital decay losses. GOCE's mission will end when the 40 kg xenon fuel tank empties (with a predicted lifetime of about 20 months). However, the ESA has reported that unusually low solar activity (meaning a calmer upper atmosphere, and hence less drag on the craft) may mean the mission could extend past its predicted 20 months due to fuel savings - possibly into 2014.
The 5 m × 1 m frame incorporates the fixed solar panels as fins to stabilise the spacecraft while it orbits through the residual air in the ionosphere (also called thermosphere).
Read more about this topic: Gravity Field And Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer
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