More than a year ago, Thales Alenia Space was granted coordinator of a Research & Development study dubbed GOTOFLY, supported by the European Commission, as part of the European research and innovation program Horizon 2020 (H2020).

GOTOFLY is a sort of gateway between labs and the space industry. It is an R&D project that aims at designing two missions for a launch in orbit by 2020. These missions are so-called in-orbit demonstration (IOD) and in-orbit validation (IOV). These IOD/IOV projects, as well as those linked to technology maturation, are key for the future of the European space industry.

GOTOFLY is coordinated by Thales Alenia Space at the head of a consortium of several European companies, including Sea & Space Exploration, a Belgian company specialised in market surveys and R&D support and 4SKIES/Novanano, a French nano-satellite specialist. For further information, click here

GOTOFLY seeks to develop a catalog of European technologies that could be tested in orbit. The catalog covers three specific categories: active antennas for mobile applications; onboard digital signal processing equipment; and optical technologies for satellites (Catalog of 10 technologies)

At the end of the project, the consortium will select two IOD/IOV missions, based on some of the technologies in the catalog, to be launched towards 2020.

Thales Alenia Space is one of the top participants to the space thematic of the Horizon 2020 program, which aims to foster a cost-effective, competitive and innovative space sector. The company takes a very active role in a number of H2020 projects, as either partner or coordinator. In the coming weeks, we will be spotlighting other H2020 projects conducted by Thales Alenia Space as prime contractor.

For further information on the GOTOFLY project, click here