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Illustration - Thales France

FRANCE. ALPES MARITIMES (06) CANNES. ONCE IN ORBIT IN SPACE, THE SATELLITE WILL BE IN AN ATMOSPHERE-FREE ENVIRONMENT AND WILL BE SUBJECT TO THERMAL STRESSES (SPACE COLD AND SOLAR RADIATION). IN ORDER TO VERIFY THAT THE SATELLITE'S EQUIPMENT CAN FUNCTION IN THIS ENVIRONMENT, THERMAL TESTS ARE BEING CONDUCTED BY PLACING THE SATELLITE IN A THERMAL VACUUM CHAMBER. THIS CHAMBER, CALLED ESPACE 500, IS A HORIZONTAL CYLINDRICAL CHAMBER, 8 M LONG AND 7.5 M IN DIAMETER, OR APPROXIMATELY 500 M3. THIS CHAMBER CONSISTS OF AN EXTERNAL ENVELOPE AND A DOUBLE WALL COVERING THE ENTIRE INTERIOR SURFACE, ALLOWING A COLD LIQUID TO CIRCULATE TO SIMULATE THE COLD OF SPACE. BEFORE BEING PLACED IN THE THERMAL CHAMBER, THE SATELLITE IS EQUIPPED WITH 1,500 MEASURING SENSORS TO MONITOR THE TEMPERATURE OF ITS EQUIPMENT AND STRUCTURES. Photo by Christophe Lepetit/Only France/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Illustration - Thales France

FRANCE. ALPES MARITIMES (06) CANNES. ONCE IN ORBIT IN SPACE, THE SATELLITE WILL BE IN AN ATMOSPHERE-FREE ENVIRONMENT AND WILL BE SUBJECT TO THERMAL STRESSES (SPACE COLD AND SOLAR RADIATION). IN ORDER TO VERIFY THAT THE SATELLITE'S EQUIPMENT CAN FUNCTION IN THIS ENVIRONMENT, THERMAL TESTS ARE BEING CONDUCTED BY PLACING THE SATELLITE IN A THERMAL VACUUM CHAMBER. THIS CHAMBER, CALLED ESPACE 500, IS A HORIZONTAL CYLINDRICAL CHAMBER, 8 M LONG AND 7.5 M IN DIAMETER, OR APPROXIMATELY 500 M3. THIS CHAMBER CONSISTS OF AN EXTERNAL ENVELOPE AND A DOUBLE WALL COVERING THE ENTIRE INTERIOR SURFACE, ALLOWING A COLD LIQUID TO CIRCULATE TO SIMULATE THE COLD OF SPACE. BEFORE BEING PLACED IN THE THERMAL CHAMBER, THE SATELLITE IS EQUIPPED WITH 1,500 MEASURING SENSORS TO MONITOR THE TEMPERATURE OF ITS EQUIPMENT AND STRUCTURES. Photo by Christophe Lepetit/Only France/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Illustration - Thales France

FRANCE. ALPES MARITIMES (06) CANNES. ONCE IN ORBIT IN SPACE, THE SATELLITE WILL BE IN AN ATMOSPHERE-FREE ENVIRONMENT AND WILL BE SUBJECT TO THERMAL STRESSES (SPACE COLD AND SOLAR RADIATION). IN ORDER TO VERIFY THAT THE SATELLITE'S EQUIPMENT CAN FUNCTION IN THIS ENVIRONMENT, THERMAL TESTS ARE BEING CONDUCTED BY PLACING THE SATELLITE IN A THERMAL VACUUM CHAMBER. THIS CHAMBER, CALLED ESPACE 500, IS A HORIZONTAL CYLINDRICAL CHAMBER, 8 M LONG AND 7.5 M IN DIAMETER, OR APPROXIMATELY 500 M3. THIS CHAMBER CONSISTS OF AN EXTERNAL ENVELOPE AND A DOUBLE WALL COVERING THE ENTIRE INTERIOR SURFACE, ALLOWING A COLD LIQUID TO CIRCULATE TO SIMULATE THE COLD OF SPACE. BEFORE BEING PLACED IN THE THERMAL CHAMBER, THE SATELLITE IS EQUIPPED WITH 1,500 MEASURING SENSORS TO MONITOR THE TEMPERATURE OF ITS EQUIPMENT AND STRUCTURES. Photo by Christophe Lepetit/Only France/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Kabul Kangana Grape Storage - Afghanistan

A villager uses finished Kangana jars as molds to shape bowls for new ones in the northern outskirts of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 25, 2025. The Kangana, an ancient clay jar to preserve grapes, has been widely used in the rural outskirts north of Kabul. This century-old Afghan container enables grapes harvested in the heat of summer to stay fresh until the following spring. A Kangana is an ellipsoid formed by placing two bowl-shaped compoents face to face, with no apparent front or back side. Once sealed with mud around its brim, the jar becomes nearly airtight, functioning as a natural "vacuum storage container." In some Afghan villages, the Kangana was once used to store peppers and apples as well. Today, with these vegetables and fruits available year-round, grapes remain as the main object in its starage. Photo by Li Ang/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Kabul Kangana Grape Storage - Afghanistan

A villager, along with his children, shows two fully sealed Kangana jars in the northern outskirts of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 25, 2025. The Kangana, an ancient clay jar to preserve grapes, has been widely used in the rural outskirts north of Kabul. This century-old Afghan container enables grapes harvested in the heat of summer to stay fresh until the following spring. A Kangana is an ellipsoid formed by placing two bowl-shaped compoents face to face, with no apparent front or back side. Once sealed with mud around its brim, the jar becomes nearly airtight, functioning as a natural "vacuum storage container." In some Afghan villages, the Kangana was once used to store peppers and apples as well. Today, with these vegetables and fruits available year-round, grapes remain as the main object in its starage. Photo by Li Ang/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Kabul Kangana Grape Storage - Afghanistan

A villager loads grapes into Kangana bowls in the northern outskirts of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 25, 2025. The Kangana, an ancient clay jar to preserve grapes, has been widely used in the rural outskirts north of Kabul. This century-old Afghan container enables grapes harvested in the heat of summer to stay fresh until the following spring. A Kangana is an ellipsoid formed by placing two bowl-shaped compoents face to face, with no apparent front or back side. Once sealed with mud around its brim, the jar becomes nearly airtight, functioning as a natural "vacuum storage container." In some Afghan villages, the Kangana was once used to store peppers and apples as well. Today, with these vegetables and fruits available year-round, grapes remain as the main object in its starage. Photo by Li Ang/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Kabul Kangana Grape Storage - Afghanistan

This photo taken on Aug. 25, 2025 shows Kangana bowls being slowly air-dried under sunlight in the northern outskirts of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. The Kangana, an ancient clay jar to preserve grapes, has been widely used in the rural outskirts north of Kabul. This century-old Afghan container enables grapes harvested in the heat of summer to stay fresh until the following spring. A Kangana is an ellipsoid formed by placing two bowl-shaped compoents face to face, with no apparent front or back side. Once sealed with mud around its brim, the jar becomes nearly airtight, functioning as a natural "vacuum storage container." In some Afghan villages, the Kangana was once used to store peppers and apples as well. Today, with these vegetables and fruits available year-round, grapes remain as the main object in its starage. Photo by Li Ang/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Kabul Kangana Grape Storage - Afghanistan

A villager shows bowls of an extra-large Kangana jar in the northern outskirts of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 25, 2025. The Kangana, an ancient clay jar to preserve grapes, has been widely used in the rural outskirts north of Kabul. This century-old Afghan container enables grapes harvested in the heat of summer to stay fresh until the following spring. A Kangana is an ellipsoid formed by placing two bowl-shaped compoents face to face, with no apparent front or back side. Once sealed with mud around its brim, the jar becomes nearly airtight, functioning as a natural "vacuum storage container." In some Afghan villages, the Kangana was once used to store peppers and apples as well. Today, with these vegetables and fruits available year-round, grapes remain as the main object in its starage. Photo by Li Ang/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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