Public-private partnership to launch telecoms satellite gets underway
The European Space Agency (ESA) and international telecoms company Inmarsat Global have signed a contract for the development of one of the world's largest telecommunications satellites, to be known as Alphasat. The programme represents a major collaboration between the public and private sectors. Sixteen of the ESA member countries will contribute €440 million to the project in order to get Alphasat up and running in 2012. Alphasat will provide extended coverage to Africa, Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia, offering new and advanced services. It will make possible robust communications during a crisis, making connection possible for houses, schools and businesses in remote locations. Governments with dispersed populations will also be able to use Alphasat to strengthen essential voice and data communications for industry sectors such as the media, maritime, oil and gas. In addition to the Inmarsat payload, Alphasat will also carry three 'technology demonstration payloads' provided by ESA. They are: an advanced star tracker using active pixel technology; an optical laser terminal for geostationary to low-Earth orbit communication at high data rates; and a dedicated payload for the characterisation of transmission performance in the Q-V frequency band in preparation for possible commercial exploitation of these frequencies. With Alphasat, Inmarsat will be the first commercial customer to use the Alphabus platform, a new European telecommunications platform developed by Astrium and Thales Alenia Space, and initiated by ESA and the French national Centre for Space Studies (CNES). The platform is intended to be a coordinated European response to the increased market demand for larger telecommunication payloads, for new broadband, broadcasting and mobile communications services.