50 years space activities in antwerp. all rights reserved © 2012, antwerp space n.v. 2 the early...

50 Years Space Activities in Antwerp

All rights reserved © 2012, Antwerp Space N.V. 2

The Early days of Space in Europe

1960 to mid 70 ties

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All rights reserved © 2012, Antwerp Space N.V. 3June 2012

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How it all started

The company now known as Antwerp Space N.V. roots’ went back to 1962, when the first space activities were started at the Bell Telephone Manufacturing Company (BTMC), an Antwerp based company associated with the American ITT.

At that time, space activities started being organised at European level with the ESRO and ELDO organisation, its funding members Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Italy end the Netherlands.

Britain with Blue Streak became the first stage of the European launch vehicle with France providing the Coralie second stage and Germany the third. Italy worked on the satellite project, the Netherlands and Belgium concentrated on tracking and telemetry systems and Australia supplied the launch site at Woomera.

Bell contributed to the ESRO1 and ESRO 2 satellite, providing the solar panels power conditioning equipment and also a trailer based control and tracking station. Also specific equipment was developed as part of this project.


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1962 : ELDO : the Down Range Guidance and Tracking Station


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Bell Telephone Manufacturing Labs


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1962 : ELDO : the Down Range Guidance and Tracking Station

Photo’s : Courtesy of Miel Naveau


The Golden Age The Industrial evolution

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Creation of ESA in the Conference of Plenipotentiaries held in Paris on 30 May 1975.

The purpose of the Agency shall be to provide for and to promote, for exclusively peaceful purposes, cooperation among European States in space research and technology and their space applications, with a view to their being used for scientific purposes and for operational space applications systems

Belgium again a pioneering country

Belgium 4th biggest contributor

Science as a fixed part of the ESA programs : GIOTTO mission , ..

European Independence for Launchers : Ariane

Fully exploit the Satellite telecom Era : Olympus , ARTEMIS

Start of the Remote Sensing Era : ERS-1 , Meteo

Enter the Manned Space arena : Spacelab : 1st Belgian Astronaut

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From subcontractor to Prime contractor

e.g.:

Spacelab Electrical Ground Support Equipment

Reseau Bande – S (Tracking , Telemetry and Command) for CNES

Image Receiving stations

From Institutional to the commercial market for Satellite telecommunications

Private and Institutional Enterprise

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The TT&C stations for CNES


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CNES Reseau groundstations


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Spacelab EGSE


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Spacelab EGSE


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Space SLED


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Tele-X Groundstation


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Olympus Flight Equipment & Payload EGSE


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ERS-1 TTCDAF Groundstation


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The credo of a company


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Giotto : the High Performance Demodulator


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The Himalsat Experiment


Finally an Independent company

Originally a division of Bell Telephone Manufacturing Company, later known as Alcatel Bell, it became an autonomous subsidiary of the Alcatel Space group in 1998. At that time, the company still included defence related activities and was called "Alcatel Bell Space and Defence".

Only a year later, in 1999, the defence related activities were sold and the company became "Alcatel Bell Space".

With the alliance between Alcatel Space and Finmeccanica, the company became part of Alcatel Alenia Space in 2005 and was renamed to "Alcatel Alenia Space Antwerp".

In 2007, Thales acquired the overall space related activities from Alcatel. As a consequence, the company got the name "Thales Alenia Space Antwerp".

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A company on the MOVE

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The locations


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How it evolved

At the start, the space related activities were concentrated as the Space Department with the Radio Space and Defence Division of the Bell Telephone Manufacturing Company (BTMC).

Initially located in the City centre, people were moved out to the BP Building, with some offices located in the Antwerp Expo building.

When the Spacelab project started, also premises in the Terbekehofdreef were used. For the Defense and Aero actvities

In the mid 70’s, a relocation to the ‘new’ “A” building at the Francis Wellesplein main site was effectuated, with some lab and production facilities in the BTMC location in the Haantjeslei.

During this period, the Space department used the environmental test facilities available at the BTMC main site.

While growing in the mid 80’s, not only the 3rd floor of the “A” building was occupied, also the 8th floor became gradually more occupied.

When the initiative was taken to move into flight equipment hybrid design, gradually the whole department moved out to Hoboken given the available area, so that there the clean rooms and production areas were gradually built up.

During that period, the department belonging to the Antwerp Alcatel company became Alcatel Bell Space.

Later on, the ownership changed several times : Alcatel Alenia Space, Thales Alenia Space Antwerp and now Antwerp Space, part of the OHB Technology group.


The application ERA

The GEO Political Context

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The application ERA

• Space Technology has reached Operational Maturity .

• Satellite Telecommunications is already a commodity : TV broadcasting with SES , Satellites as a through complement to terrestrial communications , Intercontinental …

• Satellite Remote Sensing

- Meteorological : Meteosat Second Generation , METOP

- Earth Observation : Envisat

• Navigation : GPS and Local augmentation systems : EGNOS in Europe

• Manned Space and Space Exploration

• European contribution to the International Space Station with Columbus and ATV ( Automated Transfer Vehicle )

• Mars Express

• Venus Express

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The GEO Political Context

• ESA being a Intergovernmental organization , Space in Europe strengthens its political impact through the mandate of the European Union .

• Application a mandate of the European Commission ( Research Framework program ) and Regional Bodies ( eg Flanders )

• European Flagship programs :

GMES - Observing our planet for a safer world

Services : Marine , Atmosphere , Emergency Management ,

Security , Climate Change

GALILEO - the one and only European global navigation Satellite system

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Polar Platform Ka Band Subsystem


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Polar Platform Ka Band Subsystem


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Flight Equipment Hybrids


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Envisat Groundstation


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Columbus Lab Check Out System

Key supplier of EGSE for the ESA Manned Space Program

Major achievements are for:

- Data management system (DMS-R)

- Ground Software Reference Facility GSRF

- European Robotic Arm (ERA)

- Columbus Orbital Facility (COF)

- Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV)

- Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle


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ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle)


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ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) Communication links


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Galileo GTSB-V2 (GIOVE-B) Test Equipment Service Module Simulator & Payload Test System

Initial constellation

GSTB-V2 Satellite


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Galileo GTSB-V2 (GIOVE-B) Test Equipment Service Module Simulator & Payload Test System


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Ground Station Equipment : Earth Observation Demodulators


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Ground Station Equipment : Earth Observation Demodulators


What made the Story come through ?

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• A strong Belgian Space Policy governed by their Ministries and the Administrations

• A strong European Space Agency with its consecutive successes .

• Excellent Customers

• Excellent Industrial Partners

BUT

Most Importantly : The people behind it

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU

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THE NEW “ ANTWERP SPACE “

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Since the company has mainly ground related activities and since Thales Alenia Space's mission changed to become more and more an on-board player, the company's shares have been sold to OHB AG in July 2010, after which its name has been changed to "Antwerp Space

Space has become a commodity to the citizen : eg weather forecast , disaster management , navigation , …

Driven by market pull and technological innovation

We are sure that OHB Gmbh and the people of “ Antwerp Space “ do have all the assets to make the next decades a success story

GOOD LUCK

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50 years space activities in antwerp. all rights reserved © 2012, antwerp space n.v. 2 the early...

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