HITEC Luxembourg and SES TechCom sign multi antenna procurement contract

SES TechCom is to supply four antenna systems to HITEC Luxembourg for European space data highway.

WEBWIRE – Monday, September 24, 2012

HITEC Luxembourg S.A., the Luxembourg based engineering and technology company has announced it has been selected for provisioning four antenna systems as part of the satellite ground stations to monitor and control the EDRS satellite network. The project is led by SES TechCom, a subcontractor to DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt), which recently signed a contract with Astrium to furnish major parts of the ground segment. The contract with HITEC Luxembourg includes the design, manufacturing and on-site installation of the antennas at key sites in Germany, UK and Belgium.

“The ground infrastructure is an essential part of European Data Relay Satellite System (EDRS). The high quality standard in product and service delivery of SES TechCom ensures that all requirements for such an innovative ground segment are met. Relying on the experience gained in several successful accomplished European projects with our partner HITEC Luxembourg, we selected the company to supply the four antenna systems,” said Gerhard Bethscheider, Managing Director SES TechCom.

EDRS is the European network of geostationary satellites which acts as gateway between Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites and ground stations. The system will allow these LEO satellites to deliver data continuously in broadband quality, even with no line-of-sight to their respective ground station. EDRS will offer new opportunities in data acquisition and delivery following disasters and foster new applications in the field of environmental protection, security and weather forecasting.

The innovative 6.8 meter diameter, limited motion antennas will play an integral role in the system architecture of the EDRS. The EDRS ground stations will consist of two ’feeder link’ ground stations (FLGS) and two data ground stations, all operating in Ka-Band. The first satellite ground stations are scheduled to be delivered by year end 2013, with the last ones being installed by mid-2014.

“Having accurate information in-time is crucial nowadays, especially when it comes to disaster response and security applications. The EDRS system will significantly increase the timeliness with which we are able to receive data for communication or monitoring services. Reliability and performance of ground stations is a must in these application fields. Our innovative Luxembourg engineered antenna systems fulfil these requirements to support faster and more reliable data transmission, and our company is proud to be awarded this procurement contract in the built up phase of a European space data highway,” stated Yves Elsen, Managing Partner and CEO of HITEC Luxembourg.

About HITEC Luxembourg S.A:
HITEC Luxembourg offers high technology solutions covering different business areas: satellite ground segment technology; customer specific and standard equipment for testing and measuring of physical properties; engineering; consulting; software & ICT development and project management. HITEC Luxembourg serves private and public sector customers at a national and international level. Its business objectives, as a specialized high technology provider are to achieve a strong sustainable market position; to expand its activities at an international level as well as to promote the Luxembourg site through the realization of innovative high quality value-added products and services.

About SES:
SES is a world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of 50 geostationary satellites. The company provides satellite communications and broadcast media services, including TV satellites which offer satellite cable TV and hybrid TV capabilities to broadcasters; content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators and business and governmental organisations worldwide. Satellite footprint maps can be found on the SES website.

SES stands for long-lasting business relationships, high-quality service and excellence in the broadcasting industry. The culturally diverse regional teams of SES are located around the globe and work closely with customers to meet their specific satellite bandwidth and service requirements.

PR Contact:
Yves Feltes
SES - Media Relations
Château de Betzdorf
L-6815 Betzdorf
Luxembourg
+352 710 725 311
www.ses.com