For planet earth and beyond
Space cameras to monitor the deployment of satellites and check the health of spacecraft will be developed under the Pioneer-IODA project by Micro-Cameras and Space Exploration based in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Thales Alenia Space has delivered the first Spacebus Neo payload module structure, including the first ever Mechanically Pumped Loop (MPL) to be mounted on a telecommunication satellite designed for 15 years of in-orbit service. It will be flown on the SES-17 satellite that is due to start service operations in 2021.
The payload and platform of the first European satellite that can be completely reprogrammed after launch have been successfully joined together.
The trend towards MEO (Medium Earth Orbit) satellites is gaining momentum with further growth in the segment very likely. This shift has created a need for enhanced modems to better match the characteristics of this orbit.
An X-ray machine which uses space technology to generate crystal clear images that doctors can use to detect the early signs of cancer has been prioritised for €1.2m of funding by the European Space Agency and the UK Space Agency.
The first European satellite capable of being completely reprogrammed after launch, developed in an ESA Partnership Programme, has passed another important milestone. The communications module of Eutelsat Quantum has completed its baseline payload testing at Airbus in Toulouse.
The latest component in the European Data Relay System (EDRS) has passed another important milestone. Tests have successfully concluded on the antennas of the EDRS-C satellite.
The first commercial microsatellite developed under ESA’s SAT‐AIS programme for tracking ships, called ESAIL, has passed another milestone. On 9 May its Canadian operator exactEarth signed the launch service agreement with Arianespace.
After intense engineering work, Eurostar Neo’s central cone was recently put through rigorous qualification testing, which it successfully completed at the end of April.
On 9th April, the signature of an agreement between the European Space Agency and the European Commission at the EU Digital Day in Brussels, marked the first steps towards what could ultimately become Europe’s “Quantum Internet”, which could connect quantum computers, simulators and sensors to distribute information and quantum resources. Plans to build a European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (QCI) are now underway.