ESA - TIA - Alphasat

Alphasat

ARTES 8 is a specific element dedicated to the development and deployment of Alphasat. Alphasat is the satellite that, in partnership with Inmarsat, will incorporate the first unit of the AlphaBus platform jointly developed by Astrium and Thales Alenia Space. Alphasat incorporates innovative on-board processing technology and user services.

The programme line has the following objectives:

initiate ESA-funded pre-development contracts to secure enabling technology and to assist the emergence of ‘second-source’ hardware suppliers able to match the market needs of Europe’s large satellite platform

develop and qualify, together with the French Space Agency (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales – CNES) and industry, a generic product line for AlphaBus based on ground qualification of development and engineering models

procure a flight-standard platform (proto-flight model) to facilitate early first flight opportunity (Alphasat)

consolidate a large platform mission, combining ESA-funded payloads with institutional and/or commercial payloads, allowing the in-orbit demonstration of a proto-flight large platform

Launch is expected in 2011–2012.

Last update: 2 July 2009

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Telecommunications and Integrated Applications

Documentation

Alphabus fact sheet: [PDF file: ~164 kB]Alphabus fact sheet (French): [PDF file: ~168 kB]Alphasat fact sheet: [PDF file: ~135 kB]Alphasat fact sheet (French): [PDF file: ~139 kB]