GMV, a multinational company headquartered in Spain and independent supplier of satellite control systems, successfully assisted in the launch of the W2A satellite in April through its satellite operations support of Eutelsat’s New Eutelsat Open-Satellite Control System (New-SCS), which includes operations of the Spacebus 4000 satellite family. Built by Thales-Alenia and based on the Spacebus 4000C4 platform, the new satellite will enable mobile communication services to Europe, Africa, India and Latin America.

GMV’s role in the successful launch involved adapting Eutelsat’s Neo-SCS satellite control system for performing operations with satellites based on the Spacebus 4000 (S4K) platform and providing support for launch operations.

The first operational test of the system took place during the W2A satellite launch and early orbit phase (LEOP). Immediately afterwards the new system became operational for the satellite’s on-station operations. In a few months the W7 satellite will be launched, whose platform is also based on the Spacebus 4000.

The launch and orbit-insertion of a geostationary satellite involves a set of complex and delicate operations using diverse software systems and a team of experts in operations and the satellite in question. Eutelsat uses the Neo-SCS satellite control system for the LEOPs of the E3K and S4K satellite platforms, and GMV provides on-site support for the satellite control system, a crucial part of the launch and early operation phase.

Neo-SCS currently controls the operations of over 20 geostationary satellites based on six different platforms built by four different manufacturers.