UK’s SciSys to Develop Software for Critical Climate Change Mission

CHIPPENHAM, UK, Nov. 16, 2006/Satnews Daily/ ― SciSys, a leading provider of software services, has announced a major contract from EADS Astrium Gmbh to develop on-board satellite software for CryoSat-2, a key mission in the European Space Agency's Living Planet program.

CryoSat-2 is a 3.5 year radar mission, scheduled for launch in 2009 and replaces its CryoSat predecessor that was unfortunately aborted in 2005 due to a failure of the Russian supplied Rockot launcher. CryoSat-2 will have the same mission objectives as the original CryoSat mission; it will monitor the thickness of land ice and sea ice and help explain the connection between the melting of the polar ice and the rise in sea levels and how this is contributing to climate change. 

The SciSys on-board software will be responsible for controlling the precise orbit and attitude of CryoSat-2 as well as handling all of its communications with the ground segment. SciSys will be involved throughout all the stages of the CryoSat-2 development, from the initial software architecture and definition of the requirements, through integration of the software on-site with the processor hardware supplier in Italy, to supporting system level testing.

SciSys is also providing ESA with staff to form part of the CryoSat-2 flight team. This team, based at the Cryosat Control Centre in Darmstadt, will be responsible for monitoring and controlling the satellite through all phases of the mission.