[SatNews] In addition to the design, analysis and fabrication of the reflectors, the Company also performed sine vibration, acoustic and thermal distortion testing.

Vanguard Space Technologies (Vanguard) today announced that it supplied critical components to Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) for the SES-8 telecommunications satellite that was recently launched aboard a Space Exploration Technologies Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.  Vanguard supplied all of the composite reflector components for the SES-8 spacecraft, which was designed, manufactured and tested by Orbital. 

ES-8 Nadir and Reflector Produced by Vanguard Space Technologies. (PRNewsFoto/Vanguard Space Technologies)

The SES-8 spacecraft is based on Orbital's enhanced GEOStar 2.4 platform, The spacecraft features two 2.5 x 2.7 meter super elliptical deployable reflectors and a 1.45 meter fixed, nadir antenna. All three of the spacecraft's composite reflectors were engineered, produced and tested by Vanguard.  They were produced using advanced composite materials and the precision structural components were assembled in Vanguard's San Diego, California facility. In addition to the design, analysis and fabrication of the reflectors, Vanguard also performed sine vibration, acoustic and thermal distortion testing.

"We are very proud to be on Orbital's team for this very important SES mission.  The composite reflectors produced by Vanguard showcases our capabilities to produce very tight tolerance, highly accurate and lightweight components in our world-class composite manufacturing facility," said Mr. Frank Belknap, CEO of Vanguard. "We have a long heritage of producing high-precision reflectors for space-based missions and have been a key supplier to Orbital for many of their successful satellite missions."

Vanguard specializes in the engineering, tooling, manufacturing, assembly and testing of high-performance, lightweight and precision aerospace structures. The company's main product lines include antenna reflectors, spacecraft structures, instrument structures and solar power systems for commercial, defense, military and research satellites. Founded in 1994, and having more than 10 years of space heritage, Vanguard has extensive experience in composite design and analysis. The company also has a growing business in space power and optical and thermal products including Modular Solar Panels, Flexible Solar Panels, Shielded, Electromagnetically Clean Solar Panels, Solar Concentrators, Deployable Solar Arrays and Deployable Radiator Arrays.