Two Galileo satellites launch with Swiss components

(CONNECT) On the morning of December 17, the European Space Agency 's 14th Galileo flight was launched with two Galileo satellites equipped with components from Beyond Gravity. The two satellites, numbers 33 and 34, were transported into space for the first time on board the new European launch vehicle Ariane 6 from the Kourou space center in French Guiana. There they will complement the group of 32 civilian European navigation satellites already in orbit.

"Galileo is the world's most accurate navigation system," explains Oliver Grassmann, Head of the Satellite Division at Zurich-based aerospace supplier Beyond Gravity, in a press release. "We are proud to have made a significant contribution to its development from the very beginning." This underlines Beyond Gravity's central role in the independent European satellite navigation system, "an important pillar of Europe's technological sovereignty in space".

Beyond Gravity is reportedly responsible for the development of the on-board computer for all Galileo satellites. The company also supplied the mission antennas for the two satellites and their multi-layer thermal insulation. It protects the instruments and core electronics from temperature fluctuations of up to 400 degrees Celsius.

The rotating drive mechanisms for the solar panels were built at the Beyond Gravity site in Zurich Seebach. They direct the power supply of the satellites towards the sun. The payload fairing at the top of the Ariane 6 rocket was produced in Emmen LU. It protects the satellites from the strong forces during launch and in the early phases of flight. It also gives the tip of Ariane 6, which is being used for a Galileo mission for the first time, its slender, aerodynamic shape.

Switzerland has contributed 2.4 percent to the costs of the Ariane 6 program. In addition to Beyond Gravity, APCO Technologies was also involved in the development of the rocket itself and its ground equipment. The company, based in Aigle, has developed components for the upper and lower drive modules and the upper and lower fastening push systems, for example. ce/mm