The European "data highway in space" is on its way into geostationary orbit with technology from Jena.
The European Data Relay Satellite System EDRS was expanded by a new satellite on August 6th 2018: EDRS-C was launched into space with an Ariane 5 rocket from the European Spaceport in Kourou (French Guyana).
Its services complement those of the European communications satellites Alphasat and EDRS-A. The satellite is OHB System AG's second communications satellite and is based on the SmallGEO satellite platform.
"We are pleased to contribute to the European Data Relay Satellite System EDRS with a dedicated satellite. With EDRS-C, we were able to extend the scope of our successfully deployed SmallGEO platform. We would like to thank Airbus Defence and Space for the trust placed in us," says Dr. Stefan Voegt, EDRS-C project manager at industrial prime contractor OHB System AG. "Our satellite meets the high requirements of the laser terminal supplied by TESAT for optical data transmission with high data rate. For this mission, we have expanded our modular TM/TC subsystem to include S- and Ka-band operation. In addition, encryption electronics ensure secure data transmission. We would like to thank our partners and suppliers for the good and successful cooperation".
The Thuringian space company Jena-Optronik GmbH was entrusted with the delivery of its successful ASTRO APS star sensors for the satellite's attitude and orbit control system (AOCS). OHB Sweden was responsible for the AOCS subsystem and as such was a direct customer of the Jena-based company.
"We were delighted to be able to continue our cooperation with the OHB team from the predecessor project SmallGEO. Successful space projects are created on the basis of a cooperative and trustful working atmosphere, the committed and goal-oriented approach of all participants coupled with a passion for the fascination of space travel," Sabine Ludwig, project manager at Jena-Optronik GmbH, explains. "When all this comes together - as in the case of EDRS-C - innovations from outer space can be jointly created for Earth."
About OHB System AG
OHB System AG is one of the three leading space companies in Europe. It belongs to the listed high-tech group OHB SE, where around 2,800 specialists and system engineers work on key European space programs.
With two strong sites in Bremen and Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich and almost 40 years of experience, OHB System AG specializes in high-tech solutions for space. These include small and medium-sized satellites for Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications, science and space exploration as well as systems for human space flight, aerial reconnaissance and process control systems.
About Jena-Optronik GmbH
space for success: The Thuringia aerospace company Jena-Optronik is one of the pioneers in multi-spectral earth monitoring and optical sensor systems for the attitude control of space flight objects. Today the company focuses on space flight applications with an institutional and commercial background:
Jena-Optronik with 245 employees located in Jena is a subsidiary of Airbus Defense and Space and a partner in demand globally, both for the world’s biggest space agencies as well as for almost all the large aerospace system companies in Asia, Russia, Europe and North America. These leading aerospace system companies rely on the products made in Jena/Thuringia and use them in their most critical missions.