Telespazio UK was successful in winning a contract, co-funded by the UK Space Agency and internal investment, to design a highly configurable launch authorisation system that could be used to control multiple launch sites across the UK. This contract builds on our experience in developing the Jupiter 2 Control Centre at the Guiana Space Centre (launch site for Ariane 5, Soyuz and Vega rockets) and involves a re-design of the system implementation and operator interfaces. When complete, it will provide system monitoring for 30+ operators with its key function being to interface with all systems at the launch site and stop / start the countdown accordingly.

Telespazio had been developing on-board software successfully since the mid 1990s. Capabilities involve guidance, navigation & control, thrust vector control, roll & altitude control system, inertial reference systems, telemetry, integrated power distribution unit, multi-functional unit, failure detection, and isolation & recovery functions. Key flight heritage includes:

• Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATV), which was an unmanned re-supply spacecraft developed by ESA to supply the International Space Station between 2008 and 2014
• Vega, which is ESA’s launch vehicle dedicated to small payloads (<1.5 tonnes) with 9 out of 9 successful launches since the first flight in 2013
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Launch operations

About 200 Telespazio staff work on site to support operations at Europe’s Spaceport at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou. We provide operations and maintenance of: telemetry facilities, localisation & trajectography systems, telecommunications infrastructure, the Diane ground station, and the 3 pads which host the 3 ESA launchers of Ariane, Soyuz and Vega. We also provide documentation and configuration management regarding operations procedures and processes.

Satellite Operations

Telespazio is one of the world leaders in the design, development and qualification of Integrated Satellite Systems and in the supply of In-Orbit Control services for launch, early orbit phase and routine operations (LEOP, IOT, relocation, mission operations) during the working life of satellites in low, medium and geostationary Earth orbits. These services are provided by means of proprietary ground elements: satellite control centre, flight dynamics systems and ground stations, together with all the necessary teleport facilities (systems, communications, logistical and security facilities).