14 DAY TRIAL // Officials at the European Space Agency (ESA) announce that the first model of the Small GEO communications satellite platform has finally been received in the Netherlands yesterday, August 28.
The spacecraft was delivered from manufacturer RUAG, in Switzerland. Many of its components were delivered from OHB System, in Germany, and other European contractors, and assembled at the Swiss facility. The cargo was delivered to the Netherlands via truck.
Currently at the ESA European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC), the platform (called the Structural–Thermal Model) is scheduled to start undergoing a series of vibrations and noise tests, meant to determine whether it can withstand the stress of launch.
Small GEO represent the first generation of small scale telecommunications satellites that ESA will launch. The first one is due for takeoff in 2014.