Mar 17, 2011 15:28 GMT  ·  By
Alphabus service module and Alphasat repeater module stand side by side before the mating procedure in Toulouse, France
   Alphabus service module and Alphasat repeater module stand side by side before the mating procedure in Toulouse, France

Officials with the European Space Agency (ESA) are proud to announce that the organization's largest telecommunications satellite ever is finally beginning to take shape in Toulouse, France.

At this point, engineering teams managing its construction are working tirelessly on assembling the spacecraft into its flight configuration, readying it for a series of upcoming validation tests that will represent its last trial before being launched.

Alphasat was odered by operate Inmarsat, and the contract between the company and ESA states that the satellite needs to be launched into space aboard an Ariane 5 heavy-lift delivery system by late 2012.

This gives the space agency only a short period of time to complete the construction, preparation, integration, testing and delivery phases of the mission. It was only recently that they received the satellite bus at the Toulouse facility.

Astrium and Thales Alenia Space were the main contractors on developing the Alphabus platform. Once delivered, the service module was immediately mated with the Alphasat communications module.

The bus was created under a contract the two companies signed with ESA and CNES, the French space agency. The former needs to expand its capabilities to accommodate increasing demands for larger telecommunication payloads, analysts say.

“The mating took place as planned, preparing the way for the upcoming satellite test campaign,” ESA Alphabus/Alphasat program manager Stéphane Lascar said after the maneuver was completed.

There are a number of first on the new spacecraft, officials say, in the sense that this is the first satellite to use the Alphabus platform. One of the key advancements this bus includes is a reveamped geomobile communications payload.

“The Alphabus/Alphasat Program is a prime example of a public–private partnership, our new way of working that ESA is pursuing in telecoms,” explains Magali Vaissiere, who is the ESA director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications,

“Such initiatives in partnership with satellite operators will foster the development of state-of-the-art technologies to serve the new needs of the worldwide market and Europe’s citizens,” the official adds.

The European Space Agency is shaping up to become a leader in the development of large satellites of all kinds, and is progressing heavily from a technological perspective.