# Ariel passes its design review and moves into construction

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/stories/ariel-passes-its-design-review-and-moves-into-construction-f3c9f394
Date: 5 Dec 2023
About: [European Space Agency](https://technooptimist.io/companies/esa.md) · [Ariel](https://technooptimist.io/spaceflight/ariel.md)
Original source: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Ariel/Ariel_moves_from_drawing_board_to_construction_phase

Ariel's spacecraft design passed its preliminary design review after a 19-month phase, moving the mission from drawing board to construction. Airbus in Toulouse can now build a structural model for launch and space-environment tests and an avionics model for electronics and software. The payload had already passed its own review in May 2023.

## Key facts

- Next comes the critical design review, then the flight model.
- The payload includes a cryogenic telescope, the AIRS spectrometer, a guidance system and a cryocooler.
- NASA and Canada's space agency contribute to the payload.

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