Sener is responsible for the Medium Gain Antenna Major Assembly (MGAMA) sub-system. A medium-gain dual-axis steerable antenna assembly that provides main uplink and downlink communications between the JUICE spacecraft and Earth, sending information and receiving commands from the control center.
This subsystem includes the antenna’s main reflector, secondary reflector, feeder, a mast or boom, rotating joints, pointing mechanism, control electronics and all interconnection cabling, among others.
The medium gain antenna will be used in the TT&C (Telemetry, Tracking and Command) Subsystem of the satellite. During flybys where the instruments require specific pointing of the spacecraft, the MGAMA is used for communication and radio-science experiments, to investigate the geodetic and geophysical properties of Jupiter and its moons, in particular Ganymede.