Satellite integration and test center in Turkey passes major milestone

Center being built in the frame of Göktürk observation satellite contract won by Space Alliance

Cannes – Thales Alenia Space announced today an important milestone regarding the satellite integration and test center built in Turkey. This center was part of the contract signed in 2010 with Telespazio in the frame of the Göktürk observation satellite program for the Turkish Ministry of Defense.

The building itself is air and water tight, and installation of the main test systems is well under way. The new satellite integration and test center will be able to integrate several telecommunications or observation satellites at the same time.

Delivery of the complete building is scheduled for October 2013, with final acceptance, including all test systems, slated for May 2014.

The Class 100,000 clean rooms, spanning more than 3,000 square meters, will house all the latest-generation equipment needed for satellite integration and testing. Systems include a mechanical vibration test bench (shaker), a 950 cubic meter acoustic test chamber, a thermal-vacuum chamber measuring over 350 cubic meters, a compact antenna test range and supports for the deployment of solar panels and antennas. Other resources include the system to test the satellite’s physical properties (weight, center of gravity, inertia) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) test systems.

Turkish industry is heavily involved in the construction of this facility. A local company was chosen as the contracting authority for all civil engineering, with responsibility for design studies and construction of the building under the responsibility of Thales Alenia Space. The center is being established in TUSAŞ Aerospace and TUSAŞ will be responsible for operating this AIT Center.

Thales Alenia Space will be the first prime contractor in the space industry to deliver a turnkey integration and test center.


About Thales Alenia Space:
The European leader in satellite systems and a major player in orbital infrastructures, Thales Alenia Space is a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Finmeccanica (33%). Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio embody the two groups’ “Space Alliance”. Thales Alenia Space sets the global standard in solutions for space telecommunications, radar and optical Earth observation, defence and security, navigation and science. With consolidated revenues of 2.1 billion euros in 2012, Thales Alenia Space has 7,500 employees in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium and United States.
www.thalesaleniaspace.com