SES... Gaining Galileo (SATCOM)
[SatNews] SES S.A. (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) has become a key partner in the future operations of Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system.
ASTRA TechCom Services, an
SES company, has signed a contract with
Spaceopal, the company providing ground-based services required to operate the Galileo constellation until it has been fully deployed. The agreement was signed by
Gerhard Bethscheider, Managing Director of ASTRA TechCom Services and by
Francesco D'Amore and
Hubertus Wanke, both Managing Directors of
Spaceopal. The agreement is encompassed in one of the six
Galileo Work Packages (
WPs) identified by the
European Commission and the
European Space Agency (
ESA) as necessary to develop Galileo's
Full Operational Capability (
FOC). The
WP6 Framework Contract is dedicated to preparation activities as well as to all the operation services the fully-deployed Galileo system requires.
ASTRA TechCom Services' contribution to WP6 covers engineering support to Spaceopal and a leading role in the
In Orbit Testing (
IOT) of the
Galileo FOC Satellites. To this end, ASTRA TechCom Services will work through its subsidiary,
Redu Space Services, to use the Galileo IOT infrastructure in Redu to deliver this critical service. Furthermore, the Framework prepares the ground for the future development of the
Galileo Data Distribution Network (
GDDN). Redu Space Services is a joint venture between ASTRA TechCom Services and the space systems manufacturer
QinetiQ and operates the ESA center in Redu. Spaceopal is a joint undertaking between Italian company
Telespazio and German firm
DLR Gesellschaft für Raumfahrtanwendungen (
GfR)
mbH, which has been set up by the
German Aerospace Center (
DLR) to provide operational services for the Galileo system.
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