Thales Alenia Space España collaborates in assuring the resupply of the International Space Station
Madrid, September 18th, 2015 - Thales Alenia Space España has delivered to Orbital ATK, prime contractor, the tracking, telemetry and command (TT&C) transponder for the next resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) of the Cygnus cargo vehicle, with launch foreseen in December 2015 by means of an Atlas V rocket.
Orbital ATK placed an order for the TT&C transponder with Thales Alenia Space España in October 2014 based on its successful on orbit operations to date. The Spanish company responded to an exceptional schedule challenge by its customer by delivering the equipment in a record time of 7 months (one half of the usual lead time).
The Cygnus vehicle resupplies the ISS with the delivery of crew supplies, science and research and vehicle hardware.
Thales Alenia Space España has participated in all Cygnus missions so far, with the delivery of TT&C transponders. This equipment is in charge of the Cygnus communications with the mission control center, by means of data relay links with NASA’s TDRSS geostationary satellites and ground based networks.
With this achievement, Thales Alenia Space España maintains its role as a key player in the ISS resupply missions. The Spanish company has also participated in the ATV vehicle of the European Space Agency and in the HTV vehicle of the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA).
Thales Alenia Space España CEO, Eduardo Bellido, expressed his “satisfaction for this significant achievement, being able to manufacture and deliver the equipment in such a short time to meet our customer’s needs. We are proud to keep contributing to the success of a program as relevant as the International Space Station.”