SSTL Delivers First ESA Galileo Payload to OHB System
By Jeffrey Hill | April 23, 2012
[Satellite TODAY 04-23-12] The first of 14 Galileo Full Operational Capability (FOC) navigation payloads has been shipped from U.K. manufacturer Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) to prime contractor OHB System in Bremen, Germany, the European Space Agency (ESA) confirmed April 19.
The payload provides Galileo’s precision positioning measurements and services to users and is being prepared for integration with the satellite platform. The SSTL payload is engineered to provide all Galileo navigation services based on European atomic clocks, navigation signal generators, high-power amplifiers and antennas.
“The payload for the fifth satellite in the Galileo constellation is ready,” ESA Galileo Program Director Didier Faivre said in a statement. “While the next two satellites to be launched are currently undergoing testing, the next ones are being built. Another important step forward for the program was made today.”
The first two Galileo satellites entered orbit October 21, 2011, with two more due for launch at the end of this summer.