Madrid, January 28, 2017 – The Hispasat 36W-1 satellite of the Spanish satellite operator HISPASAT has been put in orbit by a Soyuz launcher from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guyana. It carries on-board a unique regenerative payload, RedSAT, developed by the Spanish industry under Thales Alenia Space Spain leadership, in collaboration with HISPASAT and the European Space Agency (ESA).

Thanks to RedSAT, the H36W-1 satellite embarks the most advanced technology in space communications, providing great flexibility and efficiency. The RedSAT system is composed by a regenerative on-board processor (OBP), a direct radiating antenna (DRA-ELSA) and the ground segment responsible for the control and management of the satellite network.

Up to 9 Spanish space companies have contributed to the development of the turnkey system for HISPASAT, under the leadership of Thales Alenia Space Spain, that has also designed and manufactured the on-board processor and the network ground segment. ESA funded 50% of the processor’s development costs.

RedSAT brings multiple assets with respect to conventional satellite communication systems, allowing a more agile and efficient use of the on-board power and bandwidth, as well as in-orbit reconfiguration of the satellite footprint. This system will improve the service provision to end-users allowing greater efficiency by the use of smaller user terminals and the establishment of communication among users in a single ‘satellite hop’, reducing service latency to one half –which allows optimal real-time applications such as videoconference– and simplifying the network architecture. All in all thanks to on-board signal regeneration and the coordinated used of the active antenna.

Thales Alenia Space Spain is a worldwide reference in the development of satellite communication systems with on-board regenerative signal processing. RedSAT adds up to the AmerHis 1 and 2 systems led by the Spanish company in HISPASAT’s Amazonas 1 and 2 satellites. The company is also the technical responsible for the OBP embarked on the satellites of the Iridium NEXT constellation, the largest commercial satellite communication constellation.

Photo copyright: ©Hispasat

About Thales Alenia Space Spain
Thales Alenia Space Spain is the country’s leading space company in export markets, with over 28 years of experience in the design, development and sale of advanced space systems and equipment. The company has contributed to more than 500 satellites, space probes and vehicles used in telecommunications, Earth observation, science, exploration, navigation and orbital infrastructure missions. Investing some 12% of sales in R&D, Thales Alenia Space Spain offers a wide range of solutions spanning the design and integration of payloads and subsystems for telecommunications, data transmission and TT&C (tracking, telemetry and command), optical observation instruments, radiofrequency equipment, data processing and digital electronics, and network management systems for the ground segment.

About Thales Alenia Space
Thales Alenia Space brings over 40 years of experience to the design, integration, testing and operation of innovative space systems for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space also teams up with Telespazio to form the parent companies’ “Space Alliance”, which offers a complete range of services and solutions. Thales Alenia Space has built up unrivaled expertise in dual (civil-military) missions, constellations, flexible high-throughput payloads, altimetry, meteorology, and high-resolution radar and optical observation, as well as space exploration. The company capitalizes on its strong legacy, while also making innovation a key to its strategy. By offering a continuous stream of new products and expanding its global footprint, Thales Alenia Space has established its leadership in today’s fast-evolving space sector. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues exceeding 2.1 billion euros in 2015 and has 7,500 employees in nine countries. www.thalesaleniaspace.com


Thales Alenia Space Press Contacts:

Sandrine Bielecki
Tel: +33 (0)4 92 92 70 94
sandrine.bielecki@thalesaleniaspace.com

Chrystelle Dugimont
Tel: +33 (0)4 92 92 74 06
chrystelle.dugimont@thalesaleniaspace.com

Oriol Casas Thió
Tel. +34 91 807 7806
oriol.casasthio@thalesaleniaspace.com