The beacon development project has placed Astrium in a good position to capture a large percentage of the global market for pointing beacons. Furthermore the wider GFP programme is proving commercially successful for Astrium with flight orders for more than 100 units of equipment and frame contracts for the supply of future units.
The success of products based on GFP technology demonstrates the importance of ESA’s ARTES programmes in boosting competitiveness in the European satcom sector. “We are pleased to see continuing commercial success resulting from the Generic Flexible Payload project," said Michael Harverson, Head of Payload Technologies and Products Section at ESA. "This confirms that there is a demand for a range of telecommunications payload products with generic designs and which provide the flexibility required to meet the needs of satellite service operators in an ever changing market.”
A typical receiver unit (LNA plus downconverter)
A typical beacon
