Medical and Hospital News  
ROCKET SCIENCE
Boosting Europe's all-electric satellites
by Staff Writers
Belfast, Northern Ireland (SPX) Oct 20, 2016


On 18 October 2016, Thales UK opened its Electric Propulsion Integration Centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the first of its kind in the UK. It will expand Europe's all-electric satellite capability as part of ESA's Neosat programme. ESA astronaut Tim Peake cut the ribbon at the inauguration event in during his postflight tour of the UK. Pictured (left to right): Magali Vaissiere, ESA Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications, Rt Hon. Arlene Foster, Northern Ireland's First Minister, Philip McBride, General Manager at Thales Belfast, ESA astronaut Tim Peake, Minister Simon Hamilton, Minister for the Economy, Northern Ireland. Image courtesy ThalesUK. For a larger version of this image please go here.

ESA astronaut Tim Peake this week opened a UK facility that will expand Europe's capability with satellites that rely wholly on electric propulsion. Sited in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it builds on the advanced manufacturing skills there. Propellant tanks, electric thrusters and steering mechanisms with the interconnecting harness and fuel lines will be assembled and installed on the satellite structure.

In the future, the thruster steering assembly will also be built in the same cleanroom, which will expand to 500 sq m by the end of the year. These complete propulsion modules will then be sent to Thales Alenia Space France in Cannes for insertion into the Spacebus Neo satellites, which will offer all-electric propulsion or a mix of electric and traditional thrusters.

Three have already been ordered - the first, for Eutelsat, will provide broadband communications across sub-Saharan Africa from 2019. This effort is part of ESA's Neosat programme, which intends to reduce the cost of a 3-6 tonne satellite in orbit by 30% by the end of the decade.

Magali Vaissiere, ESA Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications, commented: "Neosat aims to help European satellite builders to capture at least half of the world's satcom market in the years to come.

"The opening of this dedicated facility in Belfast is an important milestone in the electric propulsion revolution."

Thales Alenia Space UK's dedicated Electric Propulsion Integration Centre is the first of its kind in the UK.

Spacebus Neo will offer all-electric propulsion to reach its final orbit and maintain its position using significantly less propellant than traditional thrusters - meaning lower cost or greater capacity at launch. Thales plans to build up to four per year from 2018.

Apart from Neosat, the design, manufacture and test facilities will also support other satellite programmes that use chemical and electric propulsion.

Tim Peake opened the facility on his postflight tour of the UK, in the presence of Arlene Foster, Northern Ireland's First Minister, with representatives from ESA, the UK Space Agency and NASA.

The Neosat cooperation between ESA and France's CNES space agency is part of ESA's Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems programme.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
ARTES 14 Neosat
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
ROCKET SCIENCE
Lift off for ABS-2A
Cape Canaveral FL (SPX) Jun 19, 2016
ABS announced that ABS-2A was successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 full thrust rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 10:29 a.m. EDT. The satellite lifted off as part of a dual launch, and was the second deployment at 11:05 a.m. EDT. The ABS-2A satellite is the second of the pair of the innovated all-electric propulsion satellites, manufactured by Boeing Satellite Systems Interna ... read more


ROCKET SCIENCE
Colombia landslide kills at least six

What happens when people are treated like pollution

Fire at Iraq sulphur plant out: officials

Canada parliament votes to take in Yazidi refugees

ROCKET SCIENCE
No GPS, no problem: Next-generation navigation

Australia's coordinates out by more than 1.5 metres: scientist

US Air Force awards Lockheed Martin $395M Contract for two GPS 3 satellites

SMC exercises contract options to procure two additional GPS III satellites

ROCKET SCIENCE
Ancient human history more complex than previously thought

Europeans and Africans have different immune systems, and neanderthals are partly to thank

Study finds earliest evidence in fossil record for right-handedness

Extensive heat treatment in Middle Stone Age silcrete tool production in South Africa

ROCKET SCIENCE
The gene of autumn colors

Humanity decimating planetary wildlife: report

Humanity killing off Earth's wildlife: study

Understanding bacteria's slimy fortresses

ROCKET SCIENCE
Not 'patient zero': the origins of US AIDS epidemic

Driving mosquito evolution to fight malaria

Tobacco plants engineered to manufacture high yields of malaria drug

Haiti sees 800 new cholera cases after hurricane

ROCKET SCIENCE
China blast suspects 'confess' as 14 killed: state media

Hopes for reprieve after Chinese death sentence outcry

Hong Kong pro-independence lawmakers blocked from taking oath

Unwanted gods find new home in Hong Kong

ROCKET SCIENCE
African leaders tackle piracy, illegal fishing at Lome summit

US to deport ex-navy chief drug trafficker to Guinea-Bissau

Gunmen ambush Mexican military convoy, kill 5 soldiers

Mexican army to probe killings of six in their home

ROCKET SCIENCE
Property and credit booms stablise China growth

China data and US banks propel equities higher

No debt-for-equity cure for zombie firms, says China

China's ranks of super-rich rise despite economic slowdown









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.