SES TechCom inks multi-antenna deal with HITEC Luxembourg, Launches SES-5

HITEC Luxembourg S.A., the Luxembourg-based engineering and technology company, has been selected for provisioning four antenna systems as part of the satellite ground stations to monitor and control the EDRS satellite network. The project is led by SES TechCom, a subcontractor to DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt), which recently signed a contract with Astrium to furnish major parts of the ground segment. The contract with HITEC Luxembourg includes the design, manufacturing and on-site installation of the antennas at key sites in Germany, UK and Belgium.

“The ground infrastructure is an essential part of European Data Relay Satellite System (EDRS). The high quality standard in product and service delivery of SES TechCom ensures that all requirements for such an innovative ground segment are met. Relying on the experience gained in several successful accomplished European projects with our partner HITEC Luxembourg, we selected the company to supply the four antenna systems,” says Gerhard Bethscheider, Managing Director SES TechCom.

EDRS is the European network of geostationary satellites which acts as gateway between Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites and ground stations. The system will allow these LEO satellites to deliver data continuously in broadband quality, even with no line-of-sight to their respective ground station. EDRS will offer new opportunities in data acquisition and delivery following disasters and foster new applications in the field of environmental protection, security and weather forecasting.

The innovative 6.8 meter diameter, limited motion antennas will play an integral role in the system architecture of the EDRS. The EDRS ground stations will consist of two ‘feeder link’ ground stations (FLGS) and two data ground stations, all operating in Ka-Band. The first satellite ground stations are scheduled to be delivered by year end 2013, with the last ones being installed by mid 2014.

“Having accurate information in-time is crucial nowadays – especially when it comes to disaster response and security applications. The EDRS system will significantly increase the timeliness with which we are able to receive data for communication or monitoring services. Reliability and performance of ground stations is a must in these application fields. Our innovative Luxembourg engineered antenna systems fulfil these requirements to support faster and more reliable data transmission, and our company is proud to be awarded this procurement contract in the built up phase of a European space data highway,” states Yves Elsen, Managing Partner and CEO of HITEC Luxembourg.

The project in the frame of the EDRS system implementation follows the recent delivery of a 13 meter full-motion antenna operating in Ka-band to the DLR. The repeated selection of HITEC Luxembourg by SES TechCom for the delivery of the four antenna systems constitutes a major recognition of the company’s achievement potential and trust in the technical expertise.

“The EDRS contract award to SES TechCom underlined the confidence major actors of the European space industry have in the technical capabilities built-up in Luxembourg since its adhesion to ESA. The procurement contract awarded by SES TechCom to HITEC Luxembourg now brings together Luxembourg know-how to serve this important European satellite program,” outlines François Biltgen, member of the Luxembourg government and Minister for Higher Education and Research.
SES S.A. (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) announced that the SES-5 satellite is now fully operational at the orbital position of 5 degrees East.

In addition, SES announced the successful launch of SES-5 on July 10 on board an ILS Proton rocket. It was designed and built for SES by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L). The spacecraft features 36 active Ku-band transponders, and up to 24 active C-band transponders and is now ready to deliver high performance and extensive coverage for Direct-to-Home (DTH) services, broadband, maritime communications, GSM backhaul, and VSAT applications in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.